Bad Man Jack, Poor Man Rhys

by babs_exe, Nothing_to_see_here

Summary:

One night Rhys wakes up to Handsome Jack staring him in the face, and then it spirals from there. Also known as an RP between CaptainIron and myself, turned into a fic because WHY NOT. It's all-around bad times for Rhys and good times for Jack.

*Tags will be updated with each chapter, so keep an eye out for those!

** Currently on hold due to college life

Chapter 1: Wanna get drilled?

Notes:

Right so, this is the start of a bunch of shitty things are going to happen to Rhys, so keep an eye on the tags if that's not your thing. Like the description says, it's an RP turned into a fic where we're both mean to Rhys and make him suffer (while cackling like idiots and having the time of our lives.)

Rhys couldn't have dreamed of life getting better after the whole Helios and AI Jack situation, but life was improving. Atlas was rising from the ashes like a goddamn phoenix and it was all because of him. Sure, the weapons were a little clunky, but the improvements would come with time. The cybernetic and Robotic division? Well, that was Rhys' pride and joy; nothing could compete with them, and the CEO couldn't be happier. People were starting to respect him and he rewarded them in return, starting by cleaning up Promethea, Meridian if one wanted to be specific.

However , at night, it was a different story. Sleep didn't come naturally to him, he would spend hours working on new projects and blueprints instead of going to bed. It got to a point where the CEO all but fell asleep at his desk. 

Making Helios fall from the sky, killing probably thousands of people, (probably more than Handsome Jack Had ever killed) and dealing with the AI in his head? It was still affecting him a few years later. It had been one of those nights; Rhys barely dragging himself to bed and passing out, sprawled out like a starfish and mouth hanging open.

Jack spent at least two years picking himself back up, between constant nightmares of the vault, the reminder that Angel betrayed him and planning revenge, he needed to heal, to dig out the bullets lodged in him and endure.

He started by making Gran's house his house, a small haven. It was also an ideal spot for him to watch the fall of Helios. As heartbroken as he was about it, he could admit that it looked... amazing, a literal titan falling from the sky and no doubt killing 90% of his workforce; there weren't enough escape pods for everyone. He never planned on it falling, and he never cared about each insignificant worker bee on Helios to stock the station with enough escape pods.

But, he looked into it anyway, found some guy called Rhys, who caused Helios to fall and crushing Jack's plan of returning to Hyperion. Rhys, who apparently had some Handsome Jack AI in his brain at one point.

He told himself he didn't care, that it was just something bound to happen, however, none of it mattered as he made his way into Atlas, no doubt the guy got the papers from his office for the rights to Atlas, he was smart like that and Jack appreciated that someone with half-a-brain cell caused Helios to fall, and not some filthy fucking bandit or vault hunter.

Jack killed the guards that saw him, but he wasn't being overly sneaky. He left a bloody trail behind him, part of him wanted to make the people of Promethea know that someone was slinking the HQ's shadows. He caught a guard; the guy was texting when Jack got him which made it all too easy.

"Take me to Rhy-zzz." The guard had a gun to the back of his head and a strong hand on his neck, he was leading the way and Jack let him know that he would suffer if he raised an alarm. As soon as he was brought to the door of the apartment, he slit the guy's neck. He picked the lock and walked up to the sleeping man, or rather, the sleeping kid. He leaned down over him, their faces mere centimetres apart, Jack let a heavy breath out and smiled.

Rhys, for once, had been sleeping pretty well. No dreams, drooling on his pillow, (which he would deny if anyone were to bring it up) until he felt a heavy breath on his face. He had always been a light sleeper, the smallest noise waking him up.

The CEO's eyes fluttered open, only to see someone that he had wished was part of a nightmare; he could wake up from those. His eyes widened, and he was immediately awake, jolted from his peaceful sleep by Handsome fucking Jack.

"No way... No way nu-uh... You're not real." Rhys rambled to himself, panic settling deep in his system, causing the adrenaline to course through his body. He was scrambling out of bed in an instant, onto his feet and a little unbalanced at first by how fast he was moving. Steadying himself, Rhys looked around for the nearest object he could use to defend himself against the intruder and came across his bedside lamp. He quickly tugged it out of the wall and held it high above his head, ready to throw it at the other man.

"You have  three  seconds to get out of here or else I'll summon the guards.  Who do you think you are?  Sneaking in here looking like Jack? Pretending to be a dead guy?"

Jack pulled away at the last second, missing being hit in the face by the young CEO. He didn't move away too much, standing more or less in the same spot and still smiling. Jack watched with amusement at the kid's reaction before he sat down, slowly not to spook the kid further. No doubt his filthy clothes staining the clean covers. His hands in his pockets, his left toying with a spare and still clean switchblade. "I'm only as real as you want me to be Kiddo."

"Which judging by your reaction... well, it seems I'm pretty real to you." He wanted the kid to calm down, think he was safe or something to that manner, that it was a freak dream or that he was being visited by a ghost. 

Rhys was definitely in freak-out mode. The man sounded like Jack,   looked  like Jack, and he was even acting like Handsome Jack. Oddly enough, this version wasn't blue like the AI that usually haunted his dreams. It didn't help that his clothes were covered in something and the moonlight in the room wasn't clear enough to show  exactly  what was staining the clothes. He still clutched his lamp tight in his hand though and he glared at the other.

"I've had you inside my head before, I   know  what it's like. This... This can't be real but I... God, I felt you breathing on me, how creepy is that?!" Rhys retorted, cringing a little how close Jack had gotten to him, shaking his head.

"Besides, I gave you till the count of three. It's been three seconds, I'm about to call the guards." His echo eye shone in the dark, the blue lighting up the room slightly as he called for the guards. 

"Hello? Someone get me the security to my penthouse." The echo net was silent, and he frowned. Surely, there were still guards for the night.

"Hello? I said, can I get security in here now!" There was no response. He could hear his heart thumping in his ears, adrenaline pumping through his system.

Jack figured that if going by the saying 'actions speak louder than words', then dragging the kid out and letting him see the dead bodies would show him how far Jack went to get to him. The truth was that he was just stalling for time, he didn't do anything like this for a long time, he was... nervous almost, or excited, he didn't exactly know which, but he knew he'd savour every moment he could.

"What did you do? There's no way this is a dream... This is too fucked up to be a dream." Rhys held the lamp higher, ready to throw it.

"What the fuck are you doing here? Who are you? You can't be Jack, he's... He's dead!" He exclaimed, trying to shout loud enough that someone...   anyone  would hear him. "I swear, I'm about ready to throw this at you. If you don't get out."

"The guards will think you’re losing your shit, you know that right? Panicking about Handsome Jack, a dead man. That’ll gain your trust." Jack spoke, smiling more and more until his cheeks were sore, unbridled mirth in his eyes and a laugh that came out as a snort. Jack took his hands out his pockets the knife hidden against his palm and wrist. "Rhys, the great Atlas CEO who’s losing his shit already, they’ll probably say it was the pressure getting to you."

It was hard, but he did somehow manage to keep his existence a secret. Jack didn’t want to deal with yet, not after his Helios plan went up in flames. Plus, he didn’t know how many guards were still around so he took two large steps to Rhys and flicking the knife open, anger suddenly rising in him.

“You know that I got in here all too easily, right? That I could get out of here just as easily and come back.” Another lie, Jack spent a long time figuring the systems out with his crappy echo, writing the shift times and routes of the guards.

"You're lying. They wouldn't think that. They have respect for me, they'd be willing to   die  for me." Rhys was rambling, he didn't like the idea of people risking their lives for him, enough people had died  because  of him. But Jack didn't need to know that. Especially since it was nagging in his head; what if they thought he was crazy? Imagine if he started raging about Jack sneaking into his room at night?

“Now, shut up Rhysie,” He clamped a hand down on Rhys’s face and pointed the tip of the knife at his laryngeal nerve, a warning to be quiet.

Jack laughed, louder than Rhys’s shouting and freaking out, with his hand still pressing into Rhys’s face and the knife digging in further into the nerve, waiting for some pained reaction. “You think you’re so special for having people willing to die for you? Like that’s an achievement! People died for me, Rhysie, people died for any notable person that is remembered by history. “

All thought left Rhys' brain when he felt the sharp knife again his throat. This... This was exactly what he had feared, but this was nothing like he had ever dreamed of. AI Jack was one thing, but this? This was a real-life threat, a psychotic man in front of him with a knife. He gulped, his Adam's apple moving against the knife, and he winced. Okay,   now  he was terrified.

The lamp dropped to the floor and Rhys held up his hands as a sign of surrender. His eyes were wide with fear, too afraid to move. His heart was beating too fast for his liking and his flesh hand was shaking, eyes scanning Jack's face, trying to emphasise that he would not say anything. His words muffled by the man's hand. Rhys had to be careful now, Jack was a dangerous man. 

The fear in Rhys’s eyes made Jack think it was time for Jack to drag him out by his hair or neck, into a medical ward or some mechanics lab. Both usually had what he needed, and he had his own duct tape in his digistruct. He needed to decide if he wanted scalpels or screwdrivers, elevators or pliers, to be precise and clean or blunt and messy. He decided on the lab, there was probably a medical ward close to it anyway, standard procedure, he could grab gauze and scalpels when he needed to.

“How about we take a walk? Catch up, you can fill me in on how you managed to fuck Helios up.” He grabbed the man by his hair and pushed him in front of him, the knife now aimed at the base of his neck, between his vertebra where Jack was sure he could shove the knife in.

Rhys winced at the hand in his hair, a sharp reminder of the knife at his back told him to behave; Jack was ready to stick him with a knife and Rhys wanted to avoid that at all costs.

"Lead on to one of your cybernetic labs," Jack spoke without a care in the world.

Without much of a choice, the CEO led Jack out of his bedroom and through the penthouse, his eyes widening when he saw the dead body of the guard, throat slashed and blood pooling on the floor. His stomach turned and he honestly would have thrown up if he wasn’t in so much shock. He didn't have the stomach to see it; to see his words put into action. People dying to protect him... What if that guy had a family?

"Why are you doing this, Jack?" Rhys asked, recovering from his shock enough to step around the body and towards the elevator. "I haven’t done anything to you. You were presumed dead when Helios crashed... how did you survive? How did you even find out about Helios?"

“Now, now, I’m the one asking questions but since you so kindly asked I will let this one time slide. This is all because, well, because I saw Helios fall, and you know what? I was just about to go back, make a grand entrance and make people jizz into their pants.” Jack stepped on the body, not caring if his shoes got stained or if the place he stepped on was the guy’s face or chest. He pushed on. “So, I looked into exactly what happened, and, I, hah, I got to say those Hyperion servers? Sturdy fuckers had the whole history, saw you ploughing away at that core, a real dick move by the way. Those were some good orgy rooms.” Jack ignored the question of his survival, he’d never tell of his low point of throwing up rotten foods that he had to scavenge or living in a rotting shack that used to be his grandmother’s home.

 Rhys scanned his palm on the pad to allow him access to the Cybernetic labs via his own access. They stepped inside once the elevator doors opened, Rhys staying as still as possible. Jack, on the other hand, was pressing his chest closer to Rhys and backing against the wall, not knowing if the elevator opened from both or one side. “Stay real still there Cupcake.”

The elevator took them down to the cybernetic labs and Rhys's mind was still racing. What the Hell did Jack want down there? Did he want his secrets? His upcoming plans? Jack was a man capable of so much violence... It could only be bad.

Jack let him go, hair and all while he hid the knife and took his gun out, before motioning for Rhys to come back to him, if he ran, Jack would shoot his knee out, a favourite of his that he got good at. “So in short, I looked into who caused Helios to fall, the person who fucking ruined,” He hissed that word with more than enough venom to kill a Rakk Hive, “my chance of coming back and it all pointed to you; Rhys Strongfork, shoe size 13, and for some sick reason you like chocolate dill pickle frogurt.”

No matter what form Jack was in, AI or in the flesh, he  loved  the sound of his own voice. Rhys saw the blood on Jack's feet from the soldier and he almost threw up in the elevator, his face was definitely paler than normal and the urge to run was making his legs tremble and he was glad he was leaning against the edge of the elevator or else he'd end up falling to the floor.

"The fact that you've done your research like that just shows you're borderline stalker..." Rhys mumbled under his breath, glancing at the gun and kept his eyes focused on it before finally raising his gaze meeting Jack's eyes, staring into those mismatched eyes. "I don't think you would have lasted long in Helios even if it hadn't fallen to Pandora. I had to do it, I wasn't going to let the AI Jack take over Helios."

"Says the man who had posters of me, and whoever does not do their research is a waste of air. I ran that place like the well-oiled machine it was. I would have been fine." Jack scoffed.

The elevator dinged and the same door they entered opened again and an almost sterile white hallway greeted them and Rhys took a step out, knowing that the gun was pointed at him. There were rooms with different pieces of robotics, cybernetic limbs scattered around on the worktops. All the rooms were abandoned, Rhys wasn't an asshole and let the scientists finish at a decent time.

The CEO turned into the nearest room, and he turned to face Jack. "So why exactly are we in my Cybernetics lab, Jack?" He folded his arms over his chest, dressed in his red and grey pyjamas, hair tousled from his disturbed sleep.

Jack walked into the lab. It was so clean, so nice and he felt... almost felt like home compared to the endlessly filthy shack he lived in. He grabbed Rhys by his flesh arm and dragged him along, peering into the different rooms until a heavy-duty press drill caught his eye. He smiled as wide as he could again, pulled Rhys to it, pinned his back against it.

Rhys was helpless to Jack's whims, the tight hold around his wrist was commanding enough that he had to follow wherever Jack wanted, but he should have tried to run.

“Tell me Rhysie, do you have feeling in this pretty little thing?” He tapped the arm lightly before pushing it down onto the drill table. The spindle held a long but thick drill, perfect for what Jack wanted.

He switched it on, his free hand now holding Rhys’s chin and making him look at him.

Never had Rhys imagined that Jack would get to the action that quickly and his cybernetic arm was forced to stay on the table as the drill was pressed into his arm.

Jack pressed the drill down into the cybernetic arm, once he got the drill through the whole arm he stopped it, pinning Rhys to the drill.

Rhys had always wanted his cybernetic arm to feel just as much as a human arm did and although there were improvements, he was a goddamn idiot to have part of his nervous system wired up to the arm.

As the drill pushed into the metal, Rhys let out a painful cry, trying to squirm and writhe out of the drill's punishment and he couldn't even look away from Jack's face. Although the pain wasn't incredibly bad, it still hurt like a bitch, as if drilling a finger rather than drilling into a limb. He was glad he never got an upgrade.

The CEO blinked away the tears in his eyes, the pain slowly subsiding, and he looked to the drill, trying to tug his arm out of it but effectively stuck to the table.

“So, how was that?” He stepped back, looking at Rhys with curiosity a child might have in a zoo. “Go on, tell me.” He sat down on a lab bench, undoing his jacket.

 Rhys cursed and his movements became frantic.

"What the Hell do you want Jack?! You're a sick fuck! I never did anything to you, and Helios was going to burn to the ground with you on it or not!" The right side of his body trembling from the aftermath of the drill as he raised his hand in an attempt to disconnect the cybernetic arm from his body. At least then he could try to run.

"Fuck you. Did you drag me down here to torture me? I've got  nothing  you want. And even if I had, I wouldn't do anything for you!"

Jack sat there, jacket opened and showing off the opened hoodie and Hyperion jumper he wore, considering Rhys with sudden calmness. He wanted nothing from Rhys. At first, it was revenge against the vault hunters, then it was hatred for the one who brought down his chance of getting back to Helios that kept him going. A part of Jack knew that Rhys was right. Hyperion would have fallen eventually, Jack wasn't the same after the first vault and he changed even more after the second. He just didn't know how yet. At this very moment, he just felt... empty, if that was even a feeling he could have.

"I don't want anything from you Rhys," he was still smiling but the 'warmth' that was there previously was gone now, "Maybe at most your company, or rather my company back, rebuild Hyperion all that shit but then again, I'm not sure if I want to go back to being a CEO." He took the jacket and hoodie off, rolled the sun bleaches sleeves of his jumper up.

"Even a person who can't do anything for me can do something for me, it's more a case if they're willing or not." He walked around the lab, picking up tools and putting them back down if he didn't want them.

To say Rhys was scared was an understatement. He could deal with Jack if he actually wanted something from him, Hell with enough force, Rhys would probably give whatever Jack wanted from him but knowing that Jack was doing this for fun and didn’t even know if he wanted Atlas or not; that made things a lot more terrifying for the CEO. 

He watched the man prepare for  something  and whatever it was, Rhys did not want to find out. He shook his head as he started to reach over to his cybernetic arm, hand trembling as he tried to undo his arm; just enough so he could pop it off right and run.

Jack came back with an assortment of items, first were screwdrivers of various sizes, pliers, forceps for itty-bitty particles and finally a corkscrew, one that looked to be made in the lab, a piece of wood with some spiralling metal protruding from it.

He laid them out for Rhys to see, even dragged the heavy metal bench a couple of centimetres closer. With his hands on his hips, he turned back to Rhys. "I should go get some medical supplies right? So you don't bleed out or whatever. Where's the nearest medical ward? Or station or whatever has those plasters with kittens on them."

“Why the fuck are you so intent on hurting me? I crashed Helios because your AI was fucking crazy! I wanted to help you with Hyperion and Helios. I would’ve done   anything   to get to the top.” Except for murder or maim, of course, Rhys wasn’t a complete monster. “This is crazy and I’m not gonna let you hurt me for the fun of it... Dammit, why is this...” A huff escaped Rhys’ lips along with a soft curse, the drill in his arm affecting its performance and the detaching process wasn’t as quick as he would have liked. But he continued to try to detach the arm, praying to whichever divine force was out there to help him. “Helios is dead, Hyperion is dead.   You’re   supposed to be dead!”

Jack watched as Rhys struggled with his arm before picking up the thickest screwdriver he could find. The fear that he saw in his face fuel him on, this was something that he missed, being in power, being a predator rather than a man surviving.

"Here, let me help with that." He smiled before slapping Rhys's flesh hand away and jamming the screwdriver into the place where the arm connected. He twisted it, pushed it from side to side and wriggled it around randomly.

With one hand he held the screwdriver down, his other grabbing the plate and pulling it. It didn't budge, so he took out the screwdriver and shoved it back in, at an angle and under the plate.

Rhys didn't expect Jack to help, and his way of helping was incredibly painful. He screamed as the screwdriver pierced straight into the connector nerves and it was honestly as if Jack had stabbed him. He felt tears fill his eyes. The more Jack prodded and poked into his arm, the more he jostled the wires and tore them to pieces. Rhys was definitely regretting ever making that upgrade to his arm, the one that allowed him to feel like an arm. It would come in real handy if he didn't feel a thing right now.

"You aren't the only one Rhysie, many before you were like that too, fuck, I was like that too. You know that I killed the previous CEO right… you technically did too." He laughed at that, eyeing Rhys for a second. "I don't give a flying fuck about the AI, you should've used your own brain and not put it into your head in the first place, numbskull."

"Stop! Stop it!" Rhys cried out, wanting Jack to stop but not begging for it yet, he'd been through a hell of a lot more than what Jack was doing but it was still painful.

Soon the connectors within his arm gave in and Jack's hand would pull away to have wires in his hand. Jack finally pried the plate up. It took a lot of fiddling with the screwdriver and brute force, enough for him to put his hand under. He grabbed a handful of… something, wires maybe, before pulling them to himself. The cybernetic hand fizzled, and the hand went limp, rendering the arm completely and utterly useless. 

"It's a bit quiet in here." He muttered under his breath. He would need to fix that soon. The quiet was lonely and maddening.

Now that most of the connectors were gone, Rhys finished the rest of the job, crying out in pain as he pulled his body away from the arm which was still stuck in the drill. With a thud, Rhys fell to the floor, and he used his flesh arm to push himself back, scurrying away from Jack. He needed to get out, he needed to get away from Jack  now .

Jack just snorted when Rhys pulled the rest of his arm off. How it actually seemed painful and the fact that Rhys probably tried to have as much feeling as he could. To make it as real as he could. He studied Rhys, took in how he looked without his arm, how his face looked with tears on it and how he eyed the door.

"Y-you... You're   insane  !" Rhys exclaimed before he pushed himself to stand, eyeing the door for a second before he used his legs to push himself off and he darted out of the room as fast as he could, hoping that Jack had a shit aim.

Jack expected this, that sooner or later the other would try to make a run for it, and if he escaped, then that was fine by him, he would come back another night. Stashing the screwdriver, letting it hang from between his belt and trousers, he took his gun out. Jack took his time aiming, aiming at his left knee, or calf, or ankle, anywhere on the leg really.

If it grazed him, then he would have a trail to follow, a hunt to go on and prey to find. A hunt, another thing he hasn’t done since his days on Hyperion, letting some poor sod run around a closed-off part of Helios for his own amusement. If it hit, then he would drag Rhys back to his spot by the hair or go explore the other labs, see what other fun things there were that he could use.

“Oh Rhysie baby, no need to run. We were having such a good time together, getting real close and intimate. I was just about to ask for your favourite take out food!” The bullet hit Rhys in the left knee as Jack wanted and his eyes lit like a kid on Mercenary day.

Notes:

Right then, leave a comment or a kudos, it's really up to you.

Any tips, constructive criticism etc is more than welcome.

Chapter 2: The night continues

Summary:

As the title says, the night continues for Rhys and by all means it's not the 'Whooo! Let's do shots and party' but more like 'Someone is getting shot!'

Notes:

Ahahaha, it's ya bois, back at it again with a new chapter.
To give full credit where it is due, Rhys is written by CaptainIron meanwhile Jack is written by TrashRaccoon, and everything in between is just us being evil >:D

Rhys should have expected Jack to shoot the gun, but he hadn't expected the ex-CEO to be a decent shot. As he was running, a gunshot echoed through the halls and suddenly pain erupted in his knee, causing the man to crumble to the floor. He should have expected it, done the zig-zag manoeuvre like he saw in so many movies, but no, instead, he just ran for the exit and got himself shot.

Jack was a better shot now than he ever was. He still favoured handguns and SMGs. He let another bullet fly off, wasting ammunition for no reason, aiming beside Rhys’s head before he shoved the gun back into its holster, beside his echo.

Rhys cried out, the realisation of how royally screwed Rhys was dawned on him and he continued to fight on; dragging himself along the floor, blood smearing on the pristine white, vinyl flooring. Anything to get away from Jack and he knew there would be a punishment for trying to run away.

Jack laughed, whether it was at Rhys falling or the 'oh so creative' insult, was up for debate. The laughter echoed, soon to be replaced with Rhys’s babbling.

"Fuck you, Jack!" Rhys shouted back to the CEO, his eyes blurry as his vision filled with tears, using the depleting strength that he had left to haul himself to the elevator which was so, so close. All he needed to do was place his hand on the recognition pad and then he could put some distance between himself and Jack, should he be so lucky.

"If you call this 'getting to know each other' I don't want to know what your friendships are like," Rhys exclaimed, cursing and gasping anytime there was pressure on his leg. He would not look at his leg, he did not want to know the extent of his wound because you know, he might just throw up. 

Jack listened since the other was so much more interesting than any psycho. Jack caught up to Rhys with ease, and walked on his right, watching him crawl to the elevator. A smile still on his face, similar to one that a person would have if they heard a good joke or saw an old friend.

“Ah! A learning opportunity for you Rhysie, friendships are just opportunities for you to get hurt. You will either get back-stabbed or,” Jack huffed, remembering Nisha and Angel, “someone will kill them to get to you.”

"This is insane Jack, if you honestly think this is getting intimate, you need to check yourself! Fuck, you shot me!" Rhys was still trying to drag himself to the elevator.

Jack hopped over Rhys’s form, pressing a foot onto the knee, tapping against it. Jack wouldn't allow that, seems as if the other was determined to hurt him. Especially when pressure was put on his knee and the pain intensity spiked, ripping a scream of pain from the CEO's lips.

"P-Please! Please stop!" Rhys begged, the pain becoming overwhelming, blood oozing from the wound onto the floor more, shaking his head. He tried to reach out and grab onto Jack's leg, digging his fingers in an attempt to stop him.

“Yeah, yeah, I shot you, big deal! You see, pain brings people closer together, a mother dies, so the child grows closer to the father unless the father killed the mother, then the relationship is fucked beyond all repair! You know that this would have not happened if you didn’t run, right? I was only going to help you get the arm off, you know, sit you down and see what you wanted to eat.”

"Why would you want to know what I want to eat? You're not here to get to know me better, Jack. If you wanted to do that, you wouldn't be trying to take my arm off, destroy it or shoot me in the goddamn leg!" Rhys yelled.

Jack's ramblings didn't make sense at all, just sounded like the ramblings of a psychopath, and Rhys felt even more screwed and helpless. "W-why... Why would I want your help?! You just ruined my arm, tried to rip it off my body, and you shot me! What makes you think I would ever want your help?"

Jack cocked his head. “Those things were just a precautionary thing. A lot of people want me dead, I’m guessing with you crashing Helios and all that you’d want me dead.” He said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Plus I still got questions.” Rhys’s scream stirred something in Jack but he wasn’t sure what it was, only that it made him happier, more inclined to put more pressure on, which he did.

The amount of pressure Jack put on his gunshot wound had the CEO screaming in pain, the tears finally falling down his cheeks as if the flood gates had opened and he was terrified, more so than he has ever been in his life. He honestly did not want to find out what Jack had in store for him, especially his method of teaching him manners. If he drilled the other arm, then he really would be at the mercy of Jack’s whims and that was just almost certainly torture to the brink of death.

Tears filled his eyes, threatening to spill as he looked up at the psychotic ex-CEO stuck underneath the man's foot. "I have real friends... I don't need people like you to help me." He grunted, finally looking away. "Fuck... Please just stop..."

Jack could dig the bullet out, wrap it up with some bandages and carry Rhys to a bed. He did seem tired. However, the idea of digging the bullet out and shoving a screwdriver into it seemed more riveting.

"Do you want my help now?"

“And what would your idea of help be then, Jack? Please enlighten me. Would it involve you removing the bullet that you just shot me with? Or would it be poking a finger in the bullet hole just to teach me a lesson about manners?” Rhys spat back, although his snarky words were weak with the fear flowing through him and the fight-or-flight instinct telling him to run or do something, anything.

Rhys declining his offer for help was the final straw, he was being nice, offering his help and Rhys was just screaming bullshit about him wanting to rip his arm off. Jack just wanted to pin Rhys in place, save the duct tape for something else, and then he tried to help Rhys take the arm off when he started thrashing around.

Jack's mood dropped. Stepping on the wound as he switched sides again, Jack crouched down. “You know, it is rude to decline help from people that offer it to you. As for your friends...” He looked around, shrugged and didn’t finish the sentence. Jack grabbed the other by his neck and back of his shirt, lifting him with one arm and dragging him back down to the lab. He wanted to get his coat and hoodie back at least, take the arm as a trophy... maybe, or maybe he’d shove it up Rhys’s ass if he stepped out of line. “Next time I’ll drill into your flesh arm, yeah, that should teach you some manners. Think I might just teach you manners now.”

Rhys spotted the screwdriver sitting in Jack’s belt, just begging to be taken, and it was the only way he could try to give Jack enough of a distraction to be able to get to the elevator.

He hesitated for a moment, but what was the alternative? Become Jack’s doll to stuff pins into and do whatever he wanted with?

Rhys grabbed the screwdriver, and he just aimed for the nearest part of Jack’s body, stabbing his thigh. Sure it might not be deep enough to do anything serious, but he figured that it would give him enough of a window of opportunity. He pulled himself out of Jack’s grip again, using the wall to stand to his feet, or rather foot, and hobbled to the elevator, failing rather epically since his whole body was out of balance and he was trying not to put pressure on his leg. It would have been faster to crawl since he was practically hopping to the elevator.

Jack hummed along to Rhys’s screams, he dragged him along and held back a snarky comment, he was about to say that, yes, he would dig the bullet out because lead poisoning was a bitch when he felt the pain. His grip tightened on the neck before the screwdriver dug deeper in, shouting in pain and letting go of Rhys. He looked down at his thigh. The magnetic part of the screwdriver was fully submerged and the weight of the handle was making it angle up at an awkward angle. Jack yanked it out, groaning in pain.

Stupid fucking idiotic mistake.

He placed a hand on the wound. It wasn’t too bad, but then again he compared most of his pain to the one time he got punched in the face with a vault mark. Jack turned to follow Rhys, half-skipping to him, screwdriver still in his hand. He caught up to the closing door, jammed the screwdriver between the door to open it before throwing it behind him and lumbering into the elevator.

Rhys was satisfied that he had at least caused pain to Jack, it was gratifying to hear him shout with pain. That he wasn't the only one that was experiencing pain. There was hope that he was at least going to get away from Jack long enough to call for back up, call in the soldiers to get away but... of course, this was Rhys and he had incredibly bad luck. Jack managed to follow him in and he was faced with a very pissed of Jack.

“That wasn’t very nice of you Rhyise,” He put too much pressure on the wounded leg and the pain made him grimace. “Didn’t your mamma ever tell you it’s rude to stab people?“

He cornered Rhys in the elevator, readjusting his sleeves back up his arms before he trailed his hands over the expanse of Rhys’s chest before resting them on his throat. “Now I get it, you’re scared, I’m the big bad Handsome Jack who drilled you,” He snorted at that, “But if you didn’t run in the first place that pretty little knee of yours would still be intact.” He let his hands wander up to Rhys’s face, wiping the tears away before letting his simmering anger out. He head-butted Rhys right in the nose and placed his hands back on his neck. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t just break that neck of yours Kitten.” he squeezed, slowly applying more and more pressure.

What he hadn't expected was the head-butt, and it had him gasping for air, pain erupting in his face and his vision was blurred. He didn't even have a chance to recover before strong hands were wrapped around his neck, slowly choking him. Blood began to gush from his nose, trailing down across his lips and he could taste the iron liquid while he was gasping for air.

"I... I thought... W-we were getting... to know... each other." Rhys managed to get out, barely able to focus on Jack as he tried to blink through the dizziness and the lack of air, Jack slowly crushing his larynx. His voice is hoarse, a struggle to get each word out. "I... Like being... alive too. B-besides.. you kinda... d-deserved it."

Jack smiled again, snorted, amused at the weak attempt but he let the man breath but never really letting go of the neck. Smoothing his thumb over Rhys's pulse and watching the blood drip down his pretty face. He leaned in, too close for comfort to whisper into the others ear. "You know what's better than being alive? Living. So, if you behave for once, I'll show you what that's like. You know, to get to know each other better." Jack's mind was already forming a plan, break the man and then make Jack his entire world, his one and only.

His flesh hand moved to reach up and grab at Jack's rather large wrist, trying to pry the other's hands off his neck. He could already feel his face swelling up, barely able to stand. The elevator stopped at a lounge area, mostly for people who were visiting and waiting to be shown the appropriate level or department, luscious couches and a reception area that was abandoned since the tower was closed for the night. "J-Jack... S-someone might... catch you. The guards..." He wouldn't tell Jack that most people had gone home for the night.

"Such a shitty CEO Rhysie, making people stay at this hour of the night?" However, at the back of Jack's mind, the feeling of some guard finding them made him twitchy. It would be messier and harder to carve into the pale skin or brand Rhys if someone walked in on them. "Especially on a night like this.” He grabbed the hand on his wrist before heaving Rhys's side over himself, dragging him along and out the elevator door. He didn't see any guards but he was ready to play innocent and as if he was helping Rhys.

Rhys hoped that someone would catch them; that the guards weren't slacking off like he had seen them do before. That they would be able to stop Jack in his tracks before things got too serious. Especially with the way Jack mentioned how he wanted to get to know Rhys better. That did not sound like Jack wanted to take him out for dinner and find out what his favourite colour was.

Everything ached and when Jack moved him, the CEO inhaled sharply. His knee wound was not bleeding as heavily as before but his face was still dripping with blood and now staining his pyjamas, which were one of his favourite pairs too. He blinked hard, his vision obstructed slightly with his swollen broken nose, helpless against Jack's whims.

"You're telling me that you never had anyone work late at night? You forget I know how you used to run Hyperion and at least I don't kill groups of workers for funsies." He retorted, unable to do much else but fight back with his words but even that was weak, his voice a little hoarse from the strangling.

His eyes widened though when he heard a noise not far from their location and his heartbeat sped up, beating harder in his chest. Someone was here.

Jack dragged Rhys along and out of the elevator. He stopped at a corner peeking over it and seeing that there were no guards. “No, I just expected people to meet their deadlines and if that meant they had to do overtime it was their fault, I won’t deny the killing part because it was fun.” It still was if he was honest, there were one too many ways he could kill a person and still be fascinated, but that went unsaid.

However, Jack didn’t notice the guard rounding the corner that was to the side of him. Well, he did. He heard him whistling and walking, but the echo in the long halls made the sound bounce around and just confused Jack as to where the man was.

A young guard, who hadn't been there long at all, was whistling on his rounds, turning around the corner to see Jack carrying a bloodied and broken Rhys with a gunshot wound. The guard's eyes widened, hidden from view from under this helmet as he approached the two. "What the hell happened here, Mr Strongfork? There was no alarm raised. We need to get you to medical now." The guard turned to look to Jack, and he frowned, his hand going for his gun. "You... You look a lot like... Handsome Jack?"

As soon as Jack realised, the guard was there, which was when he spoke he turned to face the man. Jack didn’t waste time, he held Rhys up against his chest, his right arm trapping Rhys’s arm and grabbing his neck. It was a very nice, breakable neck to hold on to. His left hand went for his gun and pointed it at Rhys’s jaw, angling it away from himself, making sure that the barrel touched the skin. He would edge it into the mouth as soon as he could.

It took a moment for Rhys to register what had happened since it happened so quickly. He looked like a deer in the headlights, his heart thumping hard and fast in his chest with fear, the carotid artery in his neck pushing against the barrel of the gun. With what had transpired that night, it would surprise Rhys if Jack pulled the trigger and ended it all right there and then. However, Rhys's life was at risk and it all hinged on the Atlas soldier in front of them. 

“Now, calm down there buddy or else your boss is going to have more than a missing arm.” He tapped the gun against the jaw. “Put the gun down, kick it over and you’ll get out of this alive. Unless, of course,” he laughed, “you hate Rhysie-baby which then, haha, fire away and save me the trouble.” Jack would kill the guard regardless, the guard interrupted and the price people paid for that was giving up their life. Maybe he could make Rhys squeeze the trigger or make him clean the blood up, on his hands and knees with his shirt - it had blood on it already, so it wasn't as if it would be ruined any more.

The guard hesitated, looking from Rhys to Jack to Rhys again, but he couldn't kill his boss. He wouldn't. Rhys was so important to Atlas, and without him, the company would crash. He grabbed his gun, placing it on the floor and kicked it over to Handsome Jack. His mind was running a thousand miles a minute, wondering how Jack was alive. "Whatever you want. Mr Strongfork needs medical attention. Just take whatever you need and hand me Mr Strongfork."

"You should know that the next step is for you to lie down with your hands on your head or even better if you cuff yourself and then we can all walk to the medical bay and take care of your boss.” He kept his voice even, calm and silky sweet enough that the guard did, in fact, start to cuff himself.

Rhys wanted to shout at the soldier, he just lowered his guard in front of Handsome fucking Jack and now they were both screwed. "Run!" Rhys exclaimed, trying to struggle against Jack's chest but with the hold the other had on him, he barely moved. He was using his last ounce of strength to fight against the hold. "Run, he'll kill you!"

The moment the young man looked down to fumble with the cuffs, Jack aimed and fired, using Rhys as a stabiliser and chin rest. The bullet hit its mark, lodging itself deep under the collar bone. The man screamed and Jack in an attempt to shut the man up kneed Rhys's knee pushed him into the wall and bolted for the guard. The guard got his hands up in a block, the handcuff dangling from one of his hands, but Jack spotted an opening, the guard was covering his face and neck, not his gut. With a well-aimed fist to the stomach Jack hit him, then with no hesitation, when the guard dropped his hands Jack grabbed the other’s shoulder and smashed the butt of his gun into the visor. It took three hits to get the man down. 

Rhys wasn’t quite ready for what happened next, especially with how close Jack shot the gun, which caused his ears to ring. He cursed loudly as his legs buckled underneath him, crumbling to the floor like a sack of vegetables and he could only just sit and watch as Jack murdered an innocent man, a guard that had only happened upon them and paid the price.

When Jack turned to look at Rhys, he had his gun up, aiming it in the general direction of Rhys. "Another opportunity to learn, keep your mouth shut unless you're spoken to Cupcake."

The smell of iron was strong in his broken nose, the guard starting to bleed out on the floor, Jack standing over the dead body. And yet again, he was staring down the barrel of a gun. “You killed him because I talked out of turn?!” Rhys exclaimed, using the wall to pull himself up, wincing when he jostled his other leg, the pain a constant throbbing. 

“That guy was innocent. He was just doing his job, and you murdered him in cold blood.” He spat, glaring at Jack. He should’ve run, or at least tried to put as much space between him and Jack until he could find help. But now he was just stuck. “Why are you here, Jack? Is this to get back at me for Helios? Is this your revenge plan? I don’t... I’ve never met you in my life!” He wasn't begging for his life but he was scared, legs trembling, hands shaking.

He laughed, and it echoed. “Now you know that your actions have consequences, that the punishment extends past you and onto others.” Jack wiped at his forehead, wiping the few greying hairs out of his face, (he really needed to find some brown hair dye) back into where they were supposed to be. He sighed and put the gun away, dusted some dirt from himself and walked to Rhys. “Didn’t murder him, you should have more faith in me Princess, might have given him some brain damage though.” Jack pointed to the unconscious man, “You can check his pulse if you want to.”

The man was alive but if everything went according to plan, then Jack would have enough time to come back and bleed the man like a pig, let his blood paint the lobby, make it look like a bandit raid.

Rhys was relieved that the guard wasn't dead. Although Jack could be lying, he was known to lie to and cheat and manipulate everyone around him. The guard was awfully still on the floor but he could see the slight movement in his torso which confirmed that Jack was telling the truth.

Jack could see Rhys was in pain, that standing up was hard for him. His whole body was trembling from pain. Jack took a few slow steps to him, showing him that no, he had no weapons in his hands and keeping constant eye contact. 

“Calm down now, Rhys. I need to take you to the medical bay like I said I would.” Never did he say that and meant it. “Remember, you do nothing stupid and there are no consequences so let me take care of you; let me patch you up and get to know you. I’ll get us some food and all.” He really needed to take Rhys. He was looking paler than the first time Jack saw him. The knee probably would need to be patched up soon too if Rhys didn’t want to walk with a limp… or more noticeable limp than what Jack suspect he would have. Jack slid his arms under Rhys and picked him up, bridal style. He rubbed soft circles into whatever part of Rhys he was holding.

His brow furrowed in confusion and he even tried to push Jack away, he didn't want the other touching him, usually, it meant that Jack would hurt him but... it was strangely gentle. He moved to wrap his flesh arm around his body in an attempt to fold his arm over his chest, mismatched eyes looking up at Jack with a bewildered expression on his face.

“Now you need to tell me which way the medical bay is. The quieter the better.”

"The med bay is down the hall, third door on the right," Rhys stated, his voice quiet. He did as he was told, only to stop anyone else being punished because of his actions. It seemed that every time Rhys would go against Jack or disobey him, someone else would be penalised for it.

Jack smiled when Rhys looked at him, a cocky grin to put him at ease that never quite reached his eyes. Still rubbing gentle circles into Rhys, Jack followed the directions given.

"You..." Rhys began, trying to find the words to explain the utter confusion he felt. The weird gentle touch on his back was foreign, especially when the same hands pulled the trigger that shot him, the same hands that almost strangled the life out of him. "Why should I let you take care of me? You had no remorse about shooting me, almost strangling me." Albeit being six foot tall, he felt tiny in Jack's arms and he knew then that Jack held all the cards; he was in control. "Y-you had no intention of taking me to the med bay when you first started this psychotic charade. So don't pretend you care... because we both know that's not true." His words were hushed angry whispers, keeping quiet like the other man told him too and he hated how much control Jack had. Only because he was a psychopath.

He listened carefully for any other footsteps, letting Rhys talk. Sure, it was out of turn, Jack didn’t tell him to speak but he would let it slide. He was being quiet, co-operating for once, Rhys was learning. “I only did that because you didn’t listen to me.” He dug his fingers in at the last word before relaxing again and going back to drawing circles. “Now, since you’re being a good boy, I’m taking you to the med bay to patch you up.” 

As of now, whatever Rhys wanted Jack would give it to him if he earned it, it was a classic that Jack liked to do. He found that obscene violence needed to be met with the utmost tenderness to make a person malleable. “If you recall I asked you where the medical supplies were, I was and I am going to take care of you Rhysie. That was an obvious factor from the start.” Sure, Jack only asked Rhys where the medical supplies were to see if he could find a scalpel, but he wouldn’t mention that. Jack paused at the third door. It was a long walk but it was a quiet one when it came to guards. Jack nudged the door open with his foot, holding Rhys closer to him as they entered the empty room. He placed Rhys as gently as he could on the cot, hovering over him a tad too long before getting up and pulling the material hanging around the bed, cutting off the outside world.

From the few times he watched a hospital-based show or was in the hospital himself, (mostly after he was branded) he remembered that the nurses and doctors told him everything they did.

“Now, I’m going to bandage this up,” He motioned to the fucked knee, “I need to go check on the guard and make sure he didn’t choke on his blood, probably not but we don’t want him to die, right Rhysie? I’ll get some food and your arm on my way back. Then I’ll take out the bullet and pamper you as much as you want.” Jack smiled again.

He needed to clean up, sure, the night was long but there were only so many hours he had. He needed to kill the guard, clean the blood up, clean the lab and throw the bodies that he left into the rubbish shoot that he saw on his way in. On their way to the med bay, Jack figured that no, setting up a bandit raid would be counterproductive.

"No... No that wasn't.." With Jack's words, Rhys was starting to doubt himself; doubting his recollection of the night's events. Was Jack only doing this because he wasn't doing what Jack told him to do? He wasn't being obedient? All these thoughts were circling in his head as Jack tended to him, like a caring figure, and he wondered how much of this facade was true.

Jack rummaged through the medical supplies around the room.

Pain killers, gauze and bandages.

No key, he would need to get Rhys’s Echo and use his access, or go to the front desk and find a spare to close the room. He handed the painkillers to Rhys and wrapped his knee up.

“With your mean streak of not listening to me,” he digistructed the duct tape he had on him, “I’m going to help you stay quiet and still.” He taped Rhys’s hand onto his knee. “You need to keep the pressure there.” He taped his face next and put a kiss on the tape, ruffling the hair the same way he did with Angel’s before she killed her mother. “I’ll be back soon, make yourself comfy.” On the last thought, he took the covers from the next bed and threw them over Rhys, tucking them around him and left.

"If your intention was to hurt me and then heal me right from the start, why do it? Why do it at all?" Rhys asked, his face scrunched up with his confusion. Although he was thankful for the pain killers and it took him a moment to register what Jack was saying before it was too late. "No! No No no I won't say anything I-"

No matter how much he struggled, he was unable to stop Jack putting the tape on his mouth. He wasn't even able to move his hand. Rhys' pleas were muffled by the tape. He just wanted to go back to bed, get treated by a real doctor and end this ridiculous and painful night once and for all. Of course, it wasn't in Jack's plan, so Rhys was again subject to what Jack wanted him to do. He was still trying to pull his hand from his knee, forced to keep the pressure on his knee. There was pain erupting in his leg with every struggle, trying to pull the hand away and eventually the wound started to bleed again.

He was honestly worried for his life and only after Jack left did he feel the tears fill his eyes, scared that this would be the last night alive. He can't even squirm out of the blanket, Jack had tucked it so tight that his movement was minimal.

Notes:

Fun fact time: Zig-zagging does not work with guns, it works better with bow & arrows as you take longer to aim etc, unless you're Legolas or something.
Also here's a link to the playlist that TrashRaccoon listened to while writing Jack: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_nJyueE8YAlKXSKXZ5hXyQsLGBKAIK_E

 

Thank you to anyone that decided to read this, as usual please leave a kudos or comment, or don't, it's really up to you!

Chapter 3: Sleep Tight Rhysie

Summary:

Jack is being nice and it's super fucking weird my dudes.

Notes:

Oh dang, oh snap, two chapters in one day? Is there a possibility of another upload of this fic today? Possibly?

Also, I feel like I'm using 3 different ways to spell ducktape and that I keep spelling Echo as 'Echo' and as 'echo' because I still can't decide if it should be capitalized or not.

Rhys was left to his own devices for a long time. He used his echo-eye to keep track of the time, and half an hour turned into an hour and forty-five minutes, and Jack still wasn't back. It was becoming unpleasant and Rhys was on the verge of panicking, especially when he was bleeding out from the leg wound. He had no idea when he would be freed, and the more he struggled, the more his knee continued to bleed. It was three whole hours before Jack returned and he honestly hoped that Jack wouldn't come back. At least someone would find him and help him, that wasn't Jack. 

During those three hours, Jack wiped away any evidence that someone unwanted was around. Jack had, as some would say, too much experience in cleaning up blood... or rather, a murder scene at this stage of his life. Not that he'd done it while being CEO of Hyperion, but during the time he was a code-monkey.

The longest thing it took him to do was finding a mop and a bucket and then watering down the bleach. He remembered the floors he was on and had no distractions as he cleaned up the multiple bodies and blood around Rhys’s room (which he raided for the Echo) and the Atlas hallways.

Taking off the arm from the drill press was the second-hardest part. As soon as he got it free, he shucked off his age-old yellow jumper (which left him in a black shirt) and threw it into his digistruct. After putting on his spare hoodie and jacket, he draped the arm over his shoulder and left. He tapped away at the Echo, bringing up the layout of Atlas and finding the nearest kitchen. It wasn’t too far away and with a power walk of a murder-CEO; he found himself making a pile of cheese toasties and a thermos of tea in no time.

He had to wait out a couple of minutes as two guards were doing their rounds beside the kitchen; they stopped at the elevator, waiting for it and joking about how Kailee with a K was angry at Cailee with a C. He waited until they left and for good measure, he took the stairs. He used his back to open the door, leaning against it and letting his weight do the work. He turned and his smile fell when he saw the bloody mess Rhys made.

He tutted, disappointed.

He set the plate of toasties on the nightstand and the thermos beside it. He set the arm down on the table opposite side of the room Rhys was on and went to shut all the blinds. It was the time of night where it was getting ‘kinda’ bright.

“Rhysie, did you try to get out?” Jack asked, his face blank for once, however, the anger was there. “You've just hurt yourself more.” 

The food smelled really good but even still, he was hesitant to eat it. He moved his hand to tear the duct tape from his mouth, wincing at the sharp pain, and he looked to Jack. "You honestly thought I would just sit here like a 'good boy' with no struggling, waiting for you to come back?"

He gathered up the things he would need to take the bullet out. Jack dragged a chair over, sat down in it and carefully cut the tape holding Rhys’s hand to his knee. “Now, now, be quiet, take two painkillers, eat the toast and drink the tea.” Switching his filthy gloves for the sterile, nitrile ones he picked up. “Stay as still as you can or else this will be so much worse than it is.” Jack started taking the bullet out.

Rhys shook his head, about to open his mouth again when Jack started to perform surgery on his knee. Honestly, he wanted to wait until a nurse or someone qualified to perform the surgery but Jack insisted and he had no way to fight back unless he wanted to make things worse.

It wasn't the worse pain he's felt, but he was awake for it, he was forced to watch Jack operate on him and Rhys was wincing and cursing. He swallowed the painkillers dry, refusing to eat or drink the food and drink that Jack had brought him in case it was drugged. Jack took his time, making sure to not jostle the bullet around too much, Rhys was doing better than he thought he would; only once did Jack have to hold down the leg, and it was during the worst part of it. It also acted as a way for Jack to stabilise his hand. 

Jack sewed it up, cleaned it and wrapped it with gauze and bandage, even propped a pillow under it. Rhys was glad to see the bandage wrapped around his knee, the task finally completed and he could relax some, now that he wasn't going to bleed to death.

Jack noticed the toast and tea went untouched when he was throwing the gloves out and frowned. He would have eaten some before starting on the knee if Rhys didn’t want to eat. Now he would have to settle for cold toast. He washed his hands and put on the lotion that stood beside the soap. He plopped back in the chair, taking the plate and eating the toast, if Rhys didn’t want it he wouldn’t get any, same with the tea. He watched Rhys as he seemed to become loopy from the painkillers and probably blood loss. 

"Where the Hell were you for three hours? I can't cook, but I know that it doesn't take three hours to make toast." Yes, Rhys was being sour, being left alone in a room, not knowing what was happening. "Did the guard... Is the guard still alive?" He had a feeling that the guard was dead, Jack wouldn't leave anything behind. No stone unturned. He looked down at his bandaged leg, and he wet his lips.

“Yeah, the guard is alive, and I told you I had to go get your arm and my jacket. The place is a maze, I mean so was Helios, but I knew that maze like the back of my hand.” He ate the last bit of toast, lying with ease. “Got lost. So it took time. It's rude not to eat food that is offered to you.”

"I'm not eating anything you give me, don't know if it's poisoned or spiked. Is this it? You're not going to do anything else to me?" He asked with a raised brow, his flesh arm wrapping around his waist in an attempt to cross his arms.

Jack sipped the tea, pondering Rhys’s question and a way to make him understand that no, he wouldn’t do anything while Rhys behaved. He didn’t answer, he just finished his tea, made sure the door was locked and that the display panel on it displayed. 'Permitted Staff only. Contact R. Stronkfork for more details.' One perk of having the CEO’s echo was having access to his emails, among many other things. He did already had a solution to Rhys's 'I'm not eating anything you give me, don't know if it's poisoned or spiked'. The solution? No food or drink until Rhys begs him for something to eat or drink, and even then, Jack wouldn't give it to him; and when Jack finally would, he'd force it down his throat.

Rhys's anxiety and fear clenching at his stomach, which wasn't made better when Jack refused to answer him, just letting him stew on what Jack was going to do with him next and it just reminded him how helpless he was to Jack's whims. The CEO was shocked even more so that Jack had the nerve to climb into bed with him too. 

Jack just pulled another cover off a bed before kicking his boots off and clambering into the bed. He figured that they both needed their beauty sleep, Rhys probably more so than Jack. He settled himself beside Rhys, wrapping an arm around him, trapping his arm and holding him close. “Go to sleep, Princess.”

"What do you... What are you doing?!" Rhys exclaimed in surprised, immediately trying to squirm out of Jack's hold but holy crap the man was strong and he was weak from the loss of blood and the strong painkillers Jack had given him. He used his flesh arm to push Jack away, feebly struggling. "I don't care if you're trying to be nice, if you're making me food, tending to the gunshot wound, you still caused all the pain. Why should I even think about sleeping next to you?"

He needed his arm, he needed his Echo, he needed to get the fuck out of there. Rhys squirmed out of Jack's hold, push the blankets back and he frantically grabed the nearest IV stand, using it to try to hobble to the door, or at least grab his arm. "I-I'm not staying here! Not with y-you.." Rhys stuttered, but he was dizzy, light-headed and he really just wanted the night to end. "Please just... Leave me alone.."

Jack sat crossed-legged on the bed with a 'gentle' smile that was all teeth and sharp edges. "Because out of the three beds in here and all the blankets are here. Now with your blood loss, I'm guessing you're going to be pretty fucking cold during the night."

To drive the point home he draped two of the blankets over himself. The third was a bloody mess on the mattress. "Now these blankets are thinner than rice paper, so for extra heat…" he motioned to himself.

Maybe Jack had been right, maybe Rhys was shivering from how cold he was or it could be the fear he felt filling his entire being, who knew? But he would not stick around and find out what Jack would do with him, especially if Jack wasn't going to tell him. Rhys huffed loudly in exertion, shaking his head. 

Jack got out the bed, trailing Rhys with the blankets still draped over him. "We're not playing doctor and nurse here, but for your own sake," the 'and others' went unsaid but Jack believed Rhys to be on a smart cookie, "You better stop being a fucking idiot and get back to bed." He draped over of the blankets over Rhys, already warm from Jack and placed a hand on Rhys's armless shoulder. He wondered for a second how far he could put his arm into Rhys, but it was a fleeting idea.

"I am not sharing a bed with you, I'm not eating whatever shit you think is edible and I'm not... I'm not letting you do anything else to me." Rhys replied stubbornly and even with his feeble attempts to head to the door, he froze when Jack placed a hand on his shoulders. Although he appreciated the warmth that now enveloped him because yes he was pretty damn cold, his hand was reaching out and trying to unlock the door and surprise, it was locked.

Rhys's jaw clenched, closing his eyes, shaking his head at Jack's demand. His shoulders are shaking under Jack's hand and he shook his head again, much more sure of himself this time. "Why? What do you want so badly that you're willing to go this far to... What, torture me? Traumatise me? Because honestly, you're on your way to doing that. I-I... I can give you money, guns. Just please, let me go, Jack... I have nothing you want!"

“C’mon now Rhysie, you’re overthinking this.” Jack’s grip tightened ever so slightly but he tried to lead Rhys back to bed, to be gentle and to keep the anger flaring in his gut in check. However, Rhys’s comments about ‘shit food’, (yes, that comment specifically because he prided himself in being able to make some bitchin’ food) made his jaw twitch. He wrapped his arms around Rhys, hugging him from behind and wrapping the blanket draping it around them both.

“Rhysie, sweetheart, I don’t want anything from you.” Not yet at least. Once Jack knew something he wanted he would make sure to tell Rhys like he always did and always would. “No, sorry, that was a lie. I want you to get better, to go to sleep and rest up. You had a long night.” He pressed face against the side of Rhys’s face, his chin resting on his shoulder and his hands picking off stray fluff and crusted blood off the shirt that Rhys had on.

Rhys was not falling for it. These sudden acts of kindness, the caring nature Jack had suddenly adopted, wanting him to get better; he wasn’t believing it at all. Until Jack wrapped himself around Rhys, the warmth and the solid body pressing again him was enough to make his doubt falter. He shouldn’t... He knows he shouldn’t believe a single word Jack said, but it’s been such a long time since he’s been with anyone and Jack is so nice and warm. Rhys did come to the conclusion that his brain wasn't working because of the drugs and blood loss, and if it came down to it, he can blame his delusional state on that.

Jack slowly took a step back, pulling Rhys along, waiting to see if Rhys would go along. If not then Jack would wrap Rhys up in the blankets, tape them to him and shove so many painkillers down the boy’s gullet that he had no choice but drift off to sleep. Jack was getting tired himself and he still had to figure out where in Atlas would be best to keep Rhys. He figured Rhys’s bedroom was the right choice, it was the boss’s room and no one would think twice if ‘Rhys’ said he was sick and bed-bound for a while. However, he would have to wait for the night again before he could start up his fun again.

“A long night that you caused.” Rhys huffed in response but the fight was quickly draining out of him and using Jack as support. The CEO hobbled behind Jack like an obedient puppy on a leash, gripping onto the man’s arm tight, surprised to feel muscle there too.

As Jack walked backwards, still hugging Rhys he stroked the other's ribs. "Shh, I know Rhysie, I know." Good Rhys was cooperating now. He sat down on the bed, getting Rhys into his lap, fumbling with the blankets to wrap them up. 

They eventually made it to the bed and Rhys practically collapsed on it, realising now that all the energy, the fight-or-flight instinct that fuelled his need to escape was gone and he was left tired but not quite ready to sleep yet. He wasn’t about to fall asleep in front of a lion with his jaw gaping open, ready to pounce.

“I don’t... I don’t think I can sleep.” Rhys stated, being completely honest with his captor, his mismatched eyes glancing up at the man in question, his eyelids feeling heavy but he didn't want to leave himself so vulnerable in front of Jack. “I don’t... I don’t want to rest here, the medical beds feel like sleeping on cardboard.” His words slur slightly as he used his remaining hand to rub his eye. “But you’re not going to let me go, are you? I... I swear I won’t tell anyone, I just... I want to sleep in my bed, in my penthouse. Please?”

"I promise that I'll take you back to your room when you wake up, but your resting is more important right now." He moved back, so his back was up against the headboard, pulling Rhys on top of him. "You can use me as a bed if you can't stand cardboard." Still fumbling with the blankets, he covered Rhys and propped the pillows under his back. Jack would wake up with a sore back, old pains from hunching over and new ones from the angle of his neck. He slept in worse conditions as a kid and then during his hiding. He pushed Rhys's head against his chest, stroking the brown hair with one hand and the other one still on the ribs, a sort of bed frame to keep Rhys on him.

Although there was a nagging voice inside his head telling him not to trust Jack, to push him away and fight back, Rhys had no energy. Jack had been right when he said Rhys needed rest, he wouldn't be able to stand supported with how weak and tired he felt. Combined with the displays of affection towards him was enough to keep him relaxed. The hand in the hair just made him melt like a cat and he would've purred if he could. "You're comfortable," Rhys muttered, his speech slurred slightly, shifting a lift to get comfortable, keeping his injured leg as straight as possible but it was true; Jack was warm, gentle and his eyes felt even heavier by the minute. When his strength returned to him, he would fight back, but for now, he would indulge Jack's demands and at least relax against the other.

If Jack was a bird than the 'you're comfortable' comment would make him preen, ruffle his feathers in pride because yes, he was comfortable. Closing his eyes, Jack continued to run his fingers through the hair and toying with the edge of Rhys's shirt. "If you can't sleep, then tell me how you're finding being a CEO." It was mainly a way to suss out information, but it also reminded Jack of falling asleep to a podcast, something he hasn't done in ages.

"CEO of Atlas?" Rhys scoffed a laugh, shrugging his shoulder. "It's difficult but rewarding. I... worked my ass off to get Atlas rising from the ashes and I think I did pretty well. Guns are good, our cybernetics are the best and," He interrupted himself with a soft yawn, his flesh hand resting on Jack's chest, absentmindedly trailing circles. "I used to want to be like you y'know." He murmured, slowly feeling himself grow more tired. "I worked for Hyperion too. Did you know that?"

"You must be proud and yeah, I know, cybernetic department." Jack did as much research as he could before he got to Atlas. "Why did you want to be like me?"

Rhys didn't know what was making his mouth move, maybe the drugs were making him ramble and reveal things he didn't actually want to tell Jack but he had already said too much, why not continue right? The CEO shrugged, and he nuzzled Jack gently, feeling his eyes grow heavier and heavier by the second. "I just.. Wanted to be successful like you. That was probably before I realised how much bad you did." Rhys replied honestly, another yawn leaving his lips, leaving it on that note as he felt himself quickly lulled into sleep, especially with how warm and gentle Jack had been. Sure he was probably being lured into a false sense of security but he was willing to indulge it, not as if he could stop him.

Jack was dozing off already, the hand in the hair coming to a still on the neck. The one on the ribs stilling on the hip. With Rhys practically melting into him and the welcome warmth of another body made him ignore the already forming pain in his back. He managed a 'sleep now' to Rhys before he woke up for good. It seemed to Jack it was a long time past midday, but he wouldn't be sure until he checked his watch. He wasn't fully rested, he woke up in intervals during the night at the slightest sound or change in the air; he was being paranoid and he thought it that he had a good reason to.

The CEO didn't know how long he had been sleeping for when he finally woke up. He could hear his echo beeping as if being flooded with messages about his whereabouts, no doubt. Rhys reached up to rub his eye, shifting a little, and he felt the pain of his gunshot wound; that was when the memories of last night returned to him. He frowned, wondering how he had fallen asleep on top of Jack and he huffed, squirming and tugging Jack's arm off him, his determination returning, fuelled by adrenaline.

"W-what? I don't... why are you still here?" Rhys asked, trying to sit up, but the movement made his leg erupt in pain again and he hissed, his hand reaching out to his leg. He turned his head to glare at Jack. "Get out, get out before someone finds you here and I won't let you kill anyone else."

Jack wrapped his arm tighter around Rhys and clapped a hand over his mouth. Sure the door was locked, the windows had the blinds down but it didn't mean the room was soundproof. "If you squirm around like this not only will your leg be in pain but I just might get horny."

Okay, so hearing Jack say that he would get horny if Rhys continued to move successfully stopped him from moving. He froze in his seat, just staring ahead.

Jack once again ignored Rhys in favour of doing what he wanted. He shuffled around not really caring for Rhys and got out. He had to catch himself on the side table as one blanket caught his leg. He made his way to Rhys's echo, fully intending on writing back that he was sick and needed to be in bed. He picked it up, scrolled through the notifications and being happy that his own echo never had so many. The perk of having doppelgangers, Handsome Jack was never sick and always perfect.

Rhys was watching him like a hawk, eyeing the Echo Jack had and his arm lying only a few tables away. If he could get his arm, maybe he could just bash Jack over the head with it and use the distraction as an escape. Unfortunately, Rhys didn’t have time to execute his plan, Jack’s attention was back on him again.

"Jeeze Kiddo you got a lot of fucking people looking for you." He put the Echo under his arm. He needed to make sure Rhys stayed quiet while he did some CEO business, setting things up to fit Jack's need. He padded back to the bed and picked up the duck tape along the way. "Now then, you can sit quietly and get a reward or I can use this bad boy to keep you quiet while I work. It's really up to you." He waited for Rhys to answer, watching for any movement that would set Jack off, anything that looked like he wanted to run or scream and Jack would pounce on him and make him co-operate.

“Are you serious?” Rhys asked with a raised brow, clearly unimpressed with the idea of a reward especially when Handsome Jack was the one giving out said reward and he wrapped his arm around his body as if crossing his arms. “You honestly expect me to sit here and allow you to use my echo to lie to my employees about my whereabouts? Surely you knew this would come to an end at some point. You can’t keep up a charade that long. Besides, someone’s going to come and check this room at some point. What are you going to do then? Just shoot them and beat them like the last person we came across?” Rhys retorted, leaning back in his seat but hey, he wasn’t being as loud as he could be but he wasn’t just going to let Jack get away with this. “You said you would take me back to my bed when I woke up AND I’d have my arm back so I’m not doing anything you say until I have my arm and my bed. And good luck getting us out of here without someone spotting us because if you couldn’t tell, I’m a pretty famous guy around Atlas.” He was probably pushing some line that Jack had drawn out in the sand but what more could Rhys do? He was incapacitated and relying mostly on his captor for anything, and he never was good at doing what he was told.

Jack smiled as Rhys ranted, too loud for Jack's liking and too not in line to what Jack wanted him to be. Jack dropped the echo on the bed, missing the bed completely. The screen cracked from bottom to top corner, and Jack just sighed. Either way, he needed both his hands for this. He took the tape, stretched it and wrapped it around Rhys's face, making sure it would stick to his hair before he moved onto the hand, taping it to Rhys's body and finally moving on to the ankles. "Now, here's the thing. You will blink once for yes and twice for no. You lie, you regret it. You don't lie you get brownie points you can spend."

Sure Rhys was running his mouth and sassing Jack but you know, he never expected his whole body to be tapped up. He was literally completely and utterly defenceless now, his voice rendered useless and if he was subject to Jack's mercy before, he was even more so. He huffed through his nose, still squirming, and tried to pull his hand away from his body. He wasn't even able to shake his head, the tape restricting most if not all of his movement.

Jack sat down, picked the echo up and started sending out emails, reading over old ones that Rhys sent to get the general idea of how he wrote them. The first one was to someone called Lorelei. She seemed attached to Rhys considering how many emails she sent. He sent something along the lines of 'I'm sick, the doctor told me to rest in bed and not to have any visitors, it contagious.' Next was to send two-guard patrols home due to some miscommunication in the rota.

His mismatched eyes were wide as he watched him on his echo and he could only imagine the things he was saying to the people sending him emails out of worry. Especially those close to him. No doubt Lorelei was spamming his emails, texts and probably trying to call him too and the lack of answers probably worried her even more. Rhys continued to struggle, trying to speak from behind the make-shift gag, his voice muffled, trying his utmost to sass Jack back, telling him exactly how upset and angry he was tied up like this.

"Hey, Princess, there's some asshole called Chris P. Bacon looking for approval for Project Northern Lights, is it a yes or a no?" He looked up, it was a bit darker but still not enough that he wanted to leave just yet. The guard shift from what he saw ended in an hour and then he would have free range to drag Rhys back into his room and do... something, he still had no idea what but it would probably not be a good time for Rhys.

At the mention of the project, he did as Jack told him. He answered by blinking hard once, in an attempt to communicate with the psychopath. He squirmed like a worm on the bed, grunting in his exertion and with every movement, pain flared up in his leg and he winced, his face scrunching up from the hurt. He wanted the agony to end, no more suffering. He started whining from behind the gag, his mismatched eyes aimed to talk to Jack.

Jack typed away an email, approving the project; whatever it was. It was a short email, mostly because that Lorelei emailed back. He scrunched his face up at the email she was suggesting coming up and he emailed her back again. From what he saw of their previous correspondences, they seemed buddy-buddy. So with his best Rhys impression, he emailed that reinstated that no; it was contagious, and she would get sick too. That he would be out for two weeks tops. He actually placed the echo on the table, beside the empty plate and thermos. He watched Rhys squirm like a worm on the bed, chuckling once or twice, waiting for the last twenty minutes to pass before he made his move to take Rhys to the room. "You're squirming more than a baby in a blender, honestly Rhysie, being taped up like that is not a bad thing. A good look for you even."

He checked the echo, he was getting impatient, only ten more minutes, he added five just for good measure. He leaned in. "So, since you were," He paused for a moment, Rhys wasn't good per se but he wasn't bad either, "...adequate in your behaviour I'll take you back to your room as a treat. How does that sound? Not that you really have a choice but you did mention you wanted your bed." He decided to start gathering up his stuff: Rhys's arm, the echo, his shoes, plate and thermos to leave at the door of the bedroom to make it look like whoever stayed in the room did eat something. When he had it all bundled up and stored in his digistruct he turned to Rhys. He picked him up, threw him over his shoulder and slapped his ass for good measure. "Time to go Pumpkin."

Rhys did not believe that being tied up like this was a good thing. Nothing about being at the mercy of Jack's whims was a good thing. He tried to shake his head at Jack's words, attempting to tell him that is was definitely not a good thing, but the tape wouldn't allow him to.

He released another whine, his eyes widening when he was thrown over Jack's should like a goddamn sack of potatoes. He was partially glad that Jack was finally moving them out of the cold medical bay where the beds were as thin as cardboard, but surely, surely there would be someone to spot them. Maybe he could call out for help. The CEO was interrupted from his thoughts by the slap to his ass and he inhaled sharply through his nose. It shouldn't have felt good and well, it definitely had Rhys' attention, a light blush growing across his face. He wanted to call Jack out, not to slap him like that again, but being taped up like a mummy made it difficult. He grumbled and whined behind the tape, squirming on Jack's shoulder.

Notes:

I feel like I need to come up with something other than "Leave a comment or a kudos or don't. It's really up to you." It's starting to make me feel like a YouTuber at this point.

Like, follow and obey?.... Nahh.

PS. Smut! But only in the next chapter.

Chapter 4: Say thank you!

Summary:

Jack just wants Rhys to say thank you, and to not be ungrateful.

Warning, non-consensual sex! Jack being an asshole and Rhys suffering! It's all around not a good time for Rhys.
If you wanna skip this but still read then there's the short version: Jack sticks his dick in Rhys, Rhys hates it but he also gets off on it and hates that fact! Jack goes to get food at the end.

Notes:

Just in case you need to hear this. Don't be like Jack! Do not kidnap and rape people, it's not a good fucking thing.

Jack waltzed around the Atlas facility as if he owned the place. He sure felt like it with the CEO on his shoulder and no guards to stop him. They were, after all, all home with their families or dogs or alone, crying in the bathroom that no one would love them; Jack didn't know, nor did he care. 

Jack noticed how Rhys squirmed on his shoulder after the first smack which gave Jack an idea, with the hand that was holding Rhys in place (as he needed the other one to scan Rhys's robo-arm to let him enter the private elevators and such), Jack patted out a rhythm of a song he heard somewhere on the butt. For any sound that was slightly too loud, he would slap Rhys's ass harder and grin at how it felt in his hand.

Rhys did not want to admit that the rather strong hand on him was distracting and with every slap, there was a shiver sent down his spine that made Rhys squirm. He didn't want anyone to catch them like this, especially with how his arousal seemed to curl in the pit of his stomach. Why he was aroused, his brain couldn't comprehend, but he would not try to think about how good it felt to have Jack slapping his ass. 

When they finally got to the CEO's apartment Jack dropped Rhys, just pushed him off the shoulder, letting Rhys hit the bed. Jack then went to rummage through the kitchen, looking for scissors to cut Rhys free, which he didn't find, so he settled for his knife. (He did glance into the fridge to see if there were any snacks he wanted, there were none.) He (in the most comfortable position for him, which happened to be straddling Rhys) cut the tape off the face first, snipping a few stray hairs and then pulling the tape off. Then trailed the knife along the edges of the pretty face before going down lower to the tape around the arm and torso; he didn't cut those or the one around the legs. Instead, Jack flipped the knife close and rolled off Rhys, to the edge of the bed, dragging Rhys across his lap.

"Hmm, you got all cute and squirmish when I slapped that ass of yours. Do you like it, Rhysie?" He whispered, his hand moving along the length of Rhys's back and then slipped under the shirt and finally down to his PJ trousers. He pulled them down, stopping where the tape started and slapped the bare ass. 

Once he was settled in Jack's lap, the CEO's eyes widened at the question. He hesitated to answer, choosing to keep his mouth shut and he refused to take note of his semi-hard. He gasped at the slap and he shook his head, squirming in Jack's lap not so subtly trying to hide his dick.

"C'mon, answer me before I get impatient, darling." Jack admired the redness that was appearing on the pale skin, enjoying the squirming and how he could feel the half-chub that Rhys had.

"I... I don't..." He stumbled over his words, face flushed deeply as he's forced to lay in Jack's lap. "I thought... I thought once we were here you'd... you'd just leave me. I promise I won't tell anyone if you just left I..." He needed to distract himself from his growing arousal, hoping to hide it from the other man.

Jack rubbed the spot he just slapped, letting Rhys ramble on before slapping again. This time lower, harder, more precise. Something curling deep inside of him, something that wanted to just keep going until it was satisfied. If it could be, that is.

"Is this your plan? To just have me in your lap until you get bored?" He asked with a frown, trying to wriggle himself out of Jack's lap but with his arms and legs pinned, he only seemed to make his arousal worse and he cursed under his breath. "Jack please just... I won't tell anyone, I swear..." He was talking about everything but the spanks, hoping that the change of subject would distract Jack.

He crossed his legs at the knee, making sure that Rhys's body was bent in half and that with minimum effort Jack could just brush up against Rhys's dick. Which he did, a cruel smile curling on his face.

"You didn't answer my question. It's a yes sir, no sir case." He slapped the same spot again, still as hard.

"I didn't ask you what your thoughts were, or if you would tell anyone." Another slap, this time on the other side.

"I'll repeat myself one more time and the last time. I'm guessing all the blood rushing to your head made you braindead or something. Don't lie to me." He landed another smack to the same spot and brushed his knee against the groin.

Each slap to his ass was making Rhys release small little gasps, the stinging sensation on his cheeks was becoming more and more prominent with each slap and the gasps were getting louder and louder despite trying to bite down on his lip. The friction against his crotch was definitely not helping, and the arousal only grew.

"Do you like it Rhysie?" Jack massaged the two spots, leaning into Rhys's ear at an awkward and uncomfortable for him angle, but it was the angle he needed to bite and whisper into Rhys's ear. "Don't think I could ever get bored with you and I don't think you want me to get bored with you."

Rhys knew he couldn't keep quiet from Jack anymore and the way the situation was going, he wasn't sure what would happen. "Yes! Yes, s-sir I... I like it." Rhys admitted, his face flushed bright red, completely and utterly ashamed of how turned he was. As if being humiliated like this was worse than the torture he had already endured.

His thighs were trembling, lips parted with soft pants and he couldn't bring himself to look at Jack, instead, he stared at how hard he in his pyjama pants. The proof was there. He couldn't even pretend to deny it. He took a deep breath before chewing on his bottom lip. All wound up, and no release made Rhys a desperate man.

"I-Is this what you wanted? For me to admit it?" Rhys asked he wasn't even able to move his legs to hide his hard-on, his hips twitching as if subconsciously seeking friction from Jack's knee; his body out of his control. "Please... No more..." He would either come or cry.

Jack sighed at the backtalk, resting one hand on the red ass and using the other to rub at his temples. He forgot how some people didn’t use their brain properly, didn’t get the hint that they shouldn’t talk out of turn. He tutted and with a feather-light touch, he explored the whole back, from the nape to the lowest part of Rhys’s leg.

He angled his knee and let Rhys do whatever he wanted against it, nudging him every so often, urging him on, tempting him. “Now that wasn’t that hard to admit, was it? And as a reward... you can rut like the horny bitch that you are.” He smacked his ass again, digging his blunt nails into the soft flesh, scratching at it before he smacked it again. “You’d like that right Pumpkin?”

“You will have to show me you’d like that Rhysie.” Jack pressed his knee into Rhys, feeling his own dick getting harder and harder. “And you will thank me for every second.”

Rhys should have resisted, he should have more control over his own goddamn body, but every single thing Jack did to him; the spanks, the insults, the knee pressing against him, made Rhys lose control of his arousal and he was a needy, horny, little thing in Jack's lap. A small whine escaped his throat before he started grinding his hips against Jack's knee, unable to stop himself if he tried. The stimulation was all too tempting to resist and sure in any other scenario, he would be living for this but his arousal was joined by the humiliation that curled tight in his stomach.

Jack gave another three harsh hits, relishing in the small gasps that Rhys made for him, for each little movement that he made. He couldn’t wait to sink his teeth and dick into Rhys, mark him up, scratch his initials into the soft skin or brand him as his own. A Hyperion ‘H’ would be nice, or maybe a ‘Property of Handsome Jack’ albeit that would be lengthy. “Come for me Babycakes.”

Rhys's hips moved more frantically, feeling his orgasm quickly approaching as the pants quickened and became heavier. Rhys hated to admit how close he was and when Jack commanded him to come, it was as if Jack had a remote control and just pressed a button. He moaned loudly, his face moving to press against Jack's leg in an attempt to hide his face, too embarrassed to meet Jack's eyes as he came in his pyjama pants. His hips twitched, bucking as he rode the high of his orgasm, unable to do much more than lay against Jack since all his limbs were tied taped together.

He was trembling against the other, the aftermath of his orgasm thrumming through his body and he felt really good but he knew that wouldn't last long, especially with Jack there, ready to humiliate him even more. It took a moment for him to speak, his body blushing bright red, the proof of his orgasm sticky in his pyjama pants.

"P-please... N-no more.." He begged, "D-don't make me say it... Please.."

Jack grabbed a fist full of hair, pushing and manhandling Rhys to sit between his legs to face him. Jack then cranked the other's head upwards, meeting his eyes before backhanding him. "Ungrateful filthy fuck. Not even a thank you after a good time like that."

Rhys expected the violence again. The stinging sensation radiating over his cheek was nothing compared to the sheer humiliation of the act and what Jack was calling him that twisted nastily inside his stomach.

He snarled, leaning in closer and baring his teeth. He took his knife out, pressing the cold steel against the ribs, trailing up and down. Jack pushed Rhys off himself and fully onto the floor.

"Making a fucking mess all over yourself." He leaned down, cutting the tape holding Rhys's legs and arm. "Clean up after yourself, it better be spotless by the time you come around to thanking me because that's what good boys do, they thank people and if you do it well, you'll get another reward of your choosing."

Rhys was free and the temptation to run was strong, he knew he wouldn't last long. He didn't even look at Jack, knowing that what he said was true. He hobbled into the bathroom whether or not Jack wanted to see him and he undressed. He felt tears fill his eyes and blur his vision as he saw the mess he had made in his pyjama pants.

With a gulp, Rhys took a small washcloth and cleaned up the mess he had made, rubbing his eyes and he realised he had no spare clothes in his bathroom. With a soft curse, he grabbed one of the bath towels, wrapping it around his waist. He might as well tear off the bloodied shirt, wincing as he cleaned the blood around his nose and face, his nose broken.

Jack leaned back against the bed, watching every movement that Rhys made before he disappeared into the bathroom. Part of him hoped that Rhys would try to run again, he saw a kitchen counter on his way in that he could pin Rhys do, fuck him raw and leave a line of bruises on his hips, maybe break his hip for the sole purpose of having the satisfaction that if one day Rhys was asked about it he'd remember Jack. However, he also wanted to get his dick sucked, watch Rhys mouthing at it, then to take a shower.

Jack started taking off his steel cap boots and all the layers he wore. It was too warm in the room, sure not as warm as Pandora by day, but that shithole had wind. He folded his clothing in a neat pile on the first drawer unit he saw. He picked up any vaguely interesting trinkets, looked at them and then put them back. He was getting impatient waiting for Rhys. He sat down on the bed, right across from the bathroom and palmed at his dick. 

Rhys took a deep breath before he headed back into the bedroom, avoiding Jack's gaze as he rummaged through his drawers, grabbing some lounge clothes and not believing what he was about to do.

Rhys' eyes widened when he saw Jack touching himself and honestly, before the whole vault key, implanting an AI Jack into his head, this was literally what he fantasised about but now? It felt corrupted. There was an evil edge to this 'fantasy' and Rhys did NOT want to be a part of it. 

Jack grinned when he saw Rhys come out, trying to keep some modesty as if Jack just didn't make him cum inside of his clothes.

He placed the clothes on the bed and he finally looked at Jack, wetting his lips before speaking. "T-thank you... for letting me... for letting me come." He held back the tears, which was an immense struggle and he looked down again. "Can I get dress now?"

Jack's smile widened more when he heard Rhys thank him and ask him permission. Jack would laugh himself into oblivion if Rhys got himself dressed as if he thought Jack was done with him. He'd be done with him when either Rhys passed out or Jack got hungry enough to raid the fridge.

"If that's the reward you want sure, if not come over here because I ain't sucking my dick."

Rhys looked away, a blush dusting his cheeks as he got dressed, putting on a pair of cosy pants and an Atlas T-shirt because yes, he wore his merchandise.

"Wait... You don't.." Rhys blinked at the statement, holding up his hands and backed away slightly, shaking his head. He could see how hard Jack was from here and he shook his head. "You don't expect me to actually suck your dick, right? Because uhh..."

He started to slowly edge his way to the door, limping horribly, and he looked like he was about to fall over any second now. Great, what kind of predicament had he gotten himself into now?

"Don't you think we've had enough of this? If you could just... leave, that would be great I mean.. I won't tell anyone you're here and I'll give you a shit ton of money if you do?" He laughed nervously, holding his hands up in a sign of surrender but he's still edging towards the door, mismatched eyes focused on Jack. "Please?"

Jack let out a low groan seeing at how Rhys blushed before laughing at the fact that Rhys chose to dress himself and the fact that he was offering money... again. He eyed the Atlas shirt for a few seconds, finding it boring and deciding once again that yellow was a superior colour.

"You misunderstood the option there, Cupcake. It was either you suck my dick wearing clothes or naked. It's all part of your thank you. Plus let's face it, you probably jacked off to me while on Hyperion more than once, your wet dreams are coming through Rhysie, embrace them."

Rhys didn't like being right like this; his assumptions were true, Jack wanted him to suck him off. He felt dirty already, but if he gave into Jack's demands, what would he be then? Willingly giving himself over to Jack like that had connotations that he didn't want to think too much into. But what was the alternative? To be tortured and punished again? The thought process was clear on his face, his brow furrowed slightly. But what choice did he have?

Jack patted his thigh. An invitation and a warning. If Rhys used those long legs to 'run' then Jack decided he'd dislocated the other knee, if not then Rhys would be in for another reward which was Jack leaving him alone for a while. "So crawl over here and beg for it and I promise I won't pry off that echo eye and literally skull fuck you into oblivion." Not this time around, at least. "C'mon, I don't have all night and I'm still planning on railing you."

The mention of skull fucking seemed to do the trick, and he lurched forward, limping, and he moved to crawl onto the bed, injured leg kept straight. He settled between Jack's thighs and he honestly had dreamt of this before, but he wouldn't mention that at all. He couldn't even bear to look up at Jack as his hand reached out for his cock. It was thick, he had to give Jack that, but this would be the further thing from fun as his wet dreams had been back in Hyperion.

Shifting more to lay down and holding onto Jack's length, Rhys finally wrapped his lips around the head, his face scrunching up ever so slightly as his mouth slowly, inch by inch, took him in. He was silent, uncharacteristically quiet. No sassy remark. He just wanted this over and done with. He started to bob his head along his length, hoping to get Jack harder. He wished this was in a different circumstance, he could have been eager to please. Instead, it felt forced, wooden, and Rhys still refused to look at Jack.

Jack's thought process stopping the minute Rhys wrapped those lips of his around him. He let out a quiet groan, it's been more than a 'while' since he got a blowjob, or got to stick his dick in someone since he 'died'. However, he noticed the lacklustre attitude Rhys was sporting. He was doing a half-assed job. Jack bucked into him. "Fuck sake kiddo, I've seen psychos more excited about fucking a wet couch than you."

He grabbed Rhys's hair, keeping him in place before fucking into his mouth. "Thank yous are supposed to be sincere kiddo and even when they aren't you should make an effort to lie."

Jack pushed Rhys all the way down his cock, waiting for him to choke and struggle. The kid seemed to have little to no gag reflex so far, but with a dick in his mouth and Jack pinching his nose, he would definitely start missing the air supply.

Rhys' eyes widened, forced to take the man's cock so deep inside his mouth. It was obvious that Jack had discovered his lack of gag reflex and honestly when his air supply was cut off, he started to choke and struggle.

"Look at you, being a champ, a good boy for Handsome Jack." He dug his nails into Rhys's scalp. "And you know that good boys get rewards right?" he wrapped his legs around Rhys, squeezing his ribs, trapping him and grounding his pelvis into Rhys, trying to get deeper and deeper in, despite knowing he couldn't. "So, earn your reward, Rhysie."

The CEO felt his eyes water, and he was forced to be more enthusiastic about sucking the other's dick. He didn't want to, but there was no fighting against Jack's demands now. He looked up at Jack, trying to beg him to let up on the rough treatment, that he would be good. He closed his eyes tight as he started to suck his length with much more gusto now.

Jack laughed when Rhys renewed his efforts, groaned even louder when he felt the tongue and it took everything in his power not to just whine. He let Rhys up, as fun as having Rhys choke on his dick as he didn't want him to die just yet.

Rhys's hand moved to grip onto Jack's muscular thigh, his head bobbing along the length, taking Jack deep before almost pulling off his cock. His tongue wrapped around his shaft too, trying to add to the pleasure.

He didn't want to admit that he had experience giving blowjobs, he didn't want to add fuel to Jack's fire. Rhys did try and squirm against the legs trapping him, wincing and trying to give himself more room to work with, to be comfortable, whimpering as his bullet wound was being irritated, face scrunching up slightly with pain.

He flipped them over, straddling him and grinding his dick along the soft curves of Rhys's cheek, then the angles of the jaw and finally prodding his lips before deciding to scoot down. Jack manoeuvred the long legs and took off the fresh set of pants before draping the legs over his shoulders. He started at the ankle, placing soft kisses and bites, making his way down to the damaged knee. There he stopped, peppered the area with kisses, working Rhys up with his free hand and rubbing his dick against the nearest part of Rhys.

Rhys was not expecting to be flipped over, for Jack to kiss and nibble at his limbs, his flesh. The control that he would have had over his body had gone out of the window and no matter how many times Rhys thought he could take back control. Jack had other plans. The CEO felt so exposed to the other man. 

"You're being such a good boy for me Rhysie, I'm proud of you." He shifted forwards, lining their dicks up and palming them both. “Can’t fucking wait to split you in half.” He dropped the leg, using his now free hand to thumb at Rhys’s hole. “So, if you want some lube, get it.”

“Unless…” He leaned over Rhys, looked into his eyes again with a cold glare. “You like it raw, with nothing but spit?” Once again it was an awkward angle, Jack relying mostly on his balance to not fall over, relying on Rhys not squirming too much.

"J-Jack..." Rhys whimpered, mostly at the idea of being fucked but if it was inevitable if it was to happen, he did not want to be fucked raw. He wanted to feel the least amount of pain as possible. He couldn't stop himself from rocking his hips into Jack's hand, shaking his head.

"I-I don't... want it raw." He got out between soft gasps, hating that Jack had more of an influence on him than he wanted to admit. If Jack wants Rhys to be a good boy, he can be a good boy for Jack. If it means that tonight can finally end and he can lock himself in his tower away from Jack, he will give Jack this one thing. Even if he wouldn't ever feel clean again.

"Oh, you do want it raw?" Jack snickered.

"Please... p-please let me get it." He begged for the lube, trying to move under Jack, careful enough to reach into the top drawer of his bedside dresser, pulling out a small bottle of lube before handing it to Jack. "I-I'll let you fuck me, I promise I'll be good but... no more pain... please."

Snatching the lube and popping the cap and using a generous dollop of it to coat his fingers. He leaned over Rhys, pushing him forward so he could reach the drawer. He felt around blindly until he felt a condom. He put the bottle on Rhys's stomach. "Now don't twist and shout, the bottle stays upright for now." He set the condom on top of it. He did a quick prep, not as much as he should have, but it was a small charity that he granted Rhys. 

"Now I dunno where and who you fuck nor do I care but I'll be dammed if I get some shit off you." He rolled the condom on and applied more lube to his dick before pushing in, settling and relishing that he finally got to fuck something. "Remember, don't be an ungrateful brat."

He gripped at the hip joint with just enough force to let Rhys know it could be dislocated. He started straight away, with shallow but quick thrusts at first, that soon became deeper and harsher. He swiped the bottle away, hands trailing under the shirt, feeling the ridges of the body before settling on the neck, steadily cutting off the air supply… again.

This was nothing that Rhys had ever experienced before. Sure he had people who he slept with that were more 'slam, bam thank you man' and some gentle lovers that he utterly adored with affection but this? It was almost violent, overpowering, Jack's way of dominating Rhys more than anyone had ever done before.

He felt something coil in his stomach and it disgusted him that he wasn't sure if it was arousal or humiliation, or maybe even both. Rhys gripped onto the nearest thing he could. He didn't dare touch Jack in fear of being punished and he didn't want to lose some toes or eyes just because he touched Jack.

Jack leaned in to whisper into his ear. "Because face it Champ, those BJ skills didn't just manifest. I'm sure you just roll over for anyone who shows the slightest bit of interest in you. Don't you? Anyone who so much as looks at you, a psycho or a skag, you'd just spread yourself open." He mouthed at the shell of the ear, licking a stripe down the chin before hovering over Rhys's face. "C'mon tell me Rhysie, don't be shy."

Rhys's hands fisted the sheets, gasping for air like a fish out of water with Jack's strong calloused hands around his pale fragile neck and he knew he'd have plenty of bruises that no one would ever see. He didn't need the constant reminder of Jack.

"I..." Rhys began, struggling to get the words out, Jack cutting off his air supply would do that for him, especially now he felt light-headed. "I-I'm... not a... slut... I don't... I'm not a slut." He repeated, but despite his words, his body is determined to work against him again.

His cock was hard between them and he rocked his lips a little, pushing down slightly onto Jack's cock. He is still trying to gasp for air, his hand finally moving from the sheets under him and he grabbed at Jack's wrist as if to try and pry his hand off his neck, his head felt lightheaded from lack of oxygen. "P-please..."

"I'm not a slut" Jack mocked Rhys's pitch and tone before laughing. Holding the neck just a tad longer before he let up on the pressure. He opted on grabbing the shirt and hauling Rhys into a sitting position, then mouthed at the jaw making his way behind the ear, sucking a hickey that would nicely bruise. Jack then did the same along the length of the neck, biting every so often, leaving, as one might say, a necklace of bruises. He grabbed Rhys's hand, guided it to his cock and made him stroke it. "You sure sound like one when you say it." He changed the angle of his thrusts, trying to get deeper and deeper.

"Make… make some pretty sounds for me." He was panting a bit, he was close, and he didn't know if he'd last much longer this time around. He had a hand in Rhys's hair, once again pulling the head back and showing off the neck, and the other was alternating between pinching and rubbing at a nipple.

Rhys wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole. With Jack's words, the humiliation was ten times worse. Short little gasps left his lips with each bite along his neck and collarbone, stroking his own cock and trying to just let the pleasure take over. It was embarrassing, that with each thrust deep inside him, the CEO was becoming louder and louder, his moans filling the room; doing exactly what Jack told him to do.

"C'mon, it's time you put some effort in too," Jack flicked the nipple, "It's a two-man operation here and I'm doing all the work." He stilled his hips, slapping Rhys's ribs to get him moving. "Show me how much you appreciate me, make me proud Rhysie." He went back to biting at Rhys's neck and collar, going as far as his shoulders at one point.

With a sharp inhale, disappointed that Jack had stopped, Rhys did as he was asked and raised his hips before pushing his ass down onto Jack's cock again. His head fell back against the headboard, his hips becoming quicker and quicker as he disassociated from the scene, just allowing the pleasure to overwhelm him. If Jack wanted him to be eager, he could be eager and make some 'pretty sounds'. A string of curses left his parted lips, panting heavily as he practically bounced on Jack's cock. His moans echoed off the walls in the large room, mixed with the sound of slapping flesh.

He flinched and squirmed at the bites but other than that, he was focused on his orgasm. Maybe Jack would allow him to come this time as well. His hand moved quicker on his cock, afraid to take it off and hold on to the other in case it was against Jack's commands. He'd worry about how much control Jack had over him already later.

"I-I'm close." He huffed, exerted from riding Jack's cock and his own was hard and leaking, his muscles clenching and working around Jack's length to encourage him to finish too. "P-please... Please let me come.." He begged, his whole body flustered and pulled tight as if the mere command would push him over the edge.

The noises that Rhys made, the begging really got Jack going, the pace that he set even more. Jack's breathing became erratic, he was close, he leaned his head against the headboard, whispering sweet and filthy nothings to Rhys. How he was proud of him, how Rhys was doing good and how Jack was glad he didn't just kill him. His hands were on Rhys's hips, moving in time with him, gripping them harder and harder until Jack came with a huff. He leaned against Rhys, scraping his teeth against the exposed flesh, fucking through the last of his orgasm before pulling out. He listened to Rhys beg a little longer, watching his cock straining and hand gliding over it. "Yeah, sure. Go on." He pressed a harsh kiss beside the port, "Make a mess. You've earned it, baby."

The CEO didn't need much from Jack before he was coming, letting out a soft cry and he covered his torso with his come. He panted heavily, lying limp in the bed and honestly, Jack's words were just reverberating in his ears.

Jack took the condom off, tied it and handed it to Rhys. "Do whatever you want with it."

Rhys was slowly coming back to reality, the realisation of what he had done was coming back to him. He was shaking, feeling filthy and disgusted with himself. He barely said a word to Jack, happy to have a moment to himself while the man went to do whatever. He disposed of the condom into the small bedroom bin.

Jack went into the bathroom to shower, grabbing his shirt on the way. It took him around fifteen minutes before he was out and drying himself with the first towel he spotted. He walked into the room in just his shirt, using the comb he found to sort out his hair and planning on raiding the kitchen and clambering into bed, but then he got a better idea. He picked up his trousers that had his digistruct and gun attached to them, flung them over his shoulder and took a pair of sweatpants from where he saw Rhys take his. (He could tell he was going to look like he was wearing leggings.)

"Hmmph, food." He walked out, locked the door and sat on the sofa, pulling on the lounge trousers. He was right, they were too tight leggings on him. He pulled out Rhys's Echo from the digistruct and set up a password before leaving his things on the coffee table. He made pasta with pesto and cheese, a quick and simple dish, and took it to Rhys with a glass of water. "Eat."

Notes:

So... how about that huh?
Next chapter: Rhys gets a break... kinda... not really.

Also, leave a comment or kudos.

Chapter 5: Manners maketh man

Summary:

Rhys gets an idea, asks one too many questions and drinks too much wine. Jack makes Tiramisu, has some surprises & gets pissy at Rhys's questions.

Notes:

Stuff happens, bit of a respite from the 'madness' before the next chapter plunges right into it.

While Jack was making food Rhys had a really hot shower, almost scorching, trying to burn the disgust and humiliation from his skin. No matter how hot he made it, it didn't seem to work. Sighing heavily, he climbed out of the shower and got dressed again in his clothes that Jack had taken off him and curled up on the bed, waiting for Jack.

The bandages on his leg needed to be changed, so he hobbled to the bathroom and he pulled out a med-kit, returning to the bed, which is when Jack returned. Rhys raised a brow at the plate and honestly it smelt really good. He took the plate with a quiet thank you and after he was finished applying the new bandages, he ate his food. The room was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop. 

Jack watched as Rhys worked away on wrapping the bandage around his knee, which looked like it hurt a lot. He noticed how red the skin was and how the bruises look so nice on Rhys, he would need to do it more often. Then he watched as Rhys ate, keeping his breathing even and soft, blinking only when his eyes started to burn but otherwise standing against the wall with his arms crossed.

Rhys kept glancing at Jack, seeing his sweatpants on the other and he wondered where the gun and his ECHO were, along with his arm.

"Are you... I've done what you've asked me to do, I've been good... Please tell me you don't plan to stay." Rhys asked, hoping that it would be true, that Jack would leave and Rhys could implement higher levels of security to avoid something similar happening in the future. His skin was already flourishing with bruises, bite marks littered over his neck and shoulders.

He finished his food, placing the plate on the side and he watched Jack closely, appearing to be on edge as if expecting violence again or something else that Jack was capable of. "S-surely you've had your fun."

Jack listened to Rhys with a blank expression, the gears in his head-turning. He could leave Rhys alone for a bit but he would need to take precautions. "Yeah, you've been a good boy."

He again ruffled the brown hair before picking up the dishes and taking them to the kitchen and locking the door. He washed and dried the plates, put them back and pick up duck tape on his way back.

He grabbed Rhys's leg, the one with the working knee and taped it to the bedpost. "I'll leave you alone until you feel better."

Jack walked to the blinds, pulled them down and left. He closed the door on his way out, locked them for good measure and plopped down onto the couch. He turned the TV on, muted it as soon as he could and picked up Rhys's Echo.  If  he was to move on he would need new items to meet basic needs, which included trousers that didn't ride into his ass. He ordered a few items, leaving a note to 'leave it at the door to prevent spreading germs'. It came in the next day, and Jack didn't go see Rhys, not even to give him food or water.

He simply lived in the apartment, answering emails and using the second bathroom, it was the life he missed. However, he did sleep on the floor, pillows and blankets over him since the couch was… too soft. He was too used to his make-shift bed in Gran's house.

When Rhys asked to be left alone, he didn't mean to be left alone tied to a bed with no food or water for three goddamn days. The only way he knew it had been three days was his ECHOeye told him. The thing was useless without his arm, unable to call anyone or call for help without his arm. Although he did have the chance to rest.

He was starting to go stir crazy. He had even thought about calling out for Jack, just to see someone or talk to anyone but he decided against it. No way would he stoop that low. Despite the peace Rhys experienced, his mind was filled with what had happened in the last two days, the torture he'd been through and he wasn't sure when it would end. He could hear Jack outside the room, shuffling around as if rubbing his freedom in his face but he was so hungry and thirsty, the glass of water Jack had given him three days ago was gone within a few hours.

He had quietly cried himself to sleep for the first night, the uncertainty of the situation, his torture finally getting to him when he was alone and it was difficult for him to sleep. Sure, he rested but he didn't get much sleep; just stared at the walls, hoping someone would come along.

"How's my precious boy doing?" Jack smiled as if nothing bad happened.

He looked up at the man when he entered, sat up in an awkward position with his leg stretched out tied to the bedpost and as if to answer Jack's question, his stomach growled loudly. He was starving, craving both food and human interaction, his arm wrapped around his torso.

"C-can I have something to eat? Please?" He asked softly, almost afraid to speak, afraid that Jack might punish him for talking out of turn. "I'm so hungry and thirsty..." He wanted to be untied but he knew it would be pushing it. At least his leg felt better. "I-I don't want to be left alone again.."

Jack smiled 'softly' at Rhys and sat down beside him. He ran a hand through the man's tangled hair, pushing away any stray hairs and smoothing them into some sort of order. Rhys looked like a tired mess, red eyes which Jack knew for a fact that was from Rhys crying; and small on the bed. He pressed a kiss on the forehead, cupping his face and wiping away tears that were long gone. "Course you can, what do you want?"

Jack was going to feed him but it wouldn't be straight off, he needed to make it first. Plus, the kid smelled bad and Jack wondered if he pissed himself but kept the disgusted sneer to himself, he didn't ask, it wouldn't work to his advantage.

Rhys knew that he shouldn't be seeking comfort from Jack; the man had only caused pain and abused him verbally but also the calloused hand in his hair, cupping his face, it had Rhys leaning into the touches as if seeking more.

"But," He took his knife out "you need to shower first." Jack cut the tape off, bits of it still sticking to the skin. He pulled Rhys up and motioned him to follow, watching to see if he'd sway, ready to play the hero and catch Rhys.

It took his mind a moment to register Jack's words, being led into the bathroom, limping all the way (luckily it wasn't as bad as it had been a few days ago).

"Now, I'm trusting you to not do anything stupid. You won't do anything stupid right, Rhys?" Jack picked out a shirt and some tracksuit bottoms, even socks and underwear and put them in a neat pile on the sink, beside a fluffy towel he found. "Take as long as you want Rhysie, I'll make the food."

"I-I won't... I won't do anything stupid..." Rhys repeated, standing awkwardly in the bathroom before he looked up at Jack again.

"Can you... Make that pasta again? It was really good." He complimented, not even waiting for Jack to get out of the room before he started to strip. He started to shiver from the cold.

"I-I'll be good." He added as if he took the words right out of Jack's head; knowing the man only wanted him to be good.

Jack smiled, eyeing the other before 'hmm-ing' and left Rhys to do his own thing in the bathroom. He changed the sheets after rummaging through the wardrobes, drawers and anything else until he found them. He threw the other ones outside of the bedroom door, he'd take them into the hamper when he was done. Next, he got rid of any tape still left on the bed frame, attaching now a slick chain with a plain black cuff (one of the various things he ordered along with his basic supplies) at the end, which he hid under the covers for a surprise later.

Rhys spent a long-ass time in the shower. The warm water falling along his spine warmed him to his core and woke him up a little; he was back to reality instead of the weird limbo he had been for the past three days while he had been left alone. Using the fluffy towel once he got out, Rhys dressed in the comfy clothes and he couldn't help but scoff at the socks Jack had picked out for him. They were his old Hyperion ones, a limited edition that he hadn't worn for a few years now. Slowly limping back to the bed again.

Rhys didn't even try opening the door. Instead, he sat almost curled up again, his good knee pulled to his chest but the injured knee was stretched out in front of him, the colour returned to his cheeks and he looked less tired. He was just hungry now.

The pasta took less than 15 minutes to make and even less to make lemonade, clean up and set the table. To kill time Jack played a little bit of sudoku on the echo, he figured that Rhys would take a long, long time in the shower but he was getting impatient, the food would be cold soon and the only two good cold dishes were gazpacho and revenge.

He walked to the door, he didn't lock it this time but he took the time to put on the soft smile that Rhys seemed to like. "Hey Cupcake? Are you ready?"

"You left me for so long..." He muttered to himself, not directed at Jack, just spoken out loud. "I wondered if I'd be left here to rot.."

Jack was... pleasantly surprised to see Rhys sitting on the bed... waiting? Satisfaction swelled in him, the cruel smirk and laugh were hard to suppress. So easily broken. A little bit of violence and even less kindness did wonders.

Rhys hated the amount of control that Jack had over him already. It seemed like it had been a century that he had been playing this game of cat and mouse with Jack, subject to the other's whims and torture if he didn't behave.

"Hey, pumpkin, you doing alright?" He sat beside Rhys, wrapping an arm around him. "What's wrong? Is your knee hurting?" Jack put a hand above the knee, caring and tender-like almost. "I can give you some painkillers for it."

He even flinched away from Jack's touch at first when he felt the arm around him. He looked down at his knee and the touch had been a shock at first but the gentleness was welcome. The CEO nodded his head at Jack's question.

"It's aching... I don't want an infection to start... Maybe we should get a doctor to look at it. I don't... I don't need to lose another limb." The thought of losing his leg bothered him and it would have been Jack's fault. The cybernetic leg would be a constant reminder of their nights together. Maybe he could convince Jack to give up, to leave him alone for good.

Jack noticed the flinch, his jaw tensed but he relaxed it pretty quick. He stroked away from the knee, not touching it but trying his best to come off as comforting. "Shh, you won't lose your leg, we'll wash it out, put some ointment on it and wrap it up."

Rhys shifted, a little uncomfortable with how close Jack was, the dirt he felt from their act days ago still on his skin, making it crawl. He didn't even look in the mirror, especially with how much he was aching all over, his face especially.

Getting a doctor would be handy, make a public appointment in Rhys's calendar to make it look as if he's being checked out for his fake sickness. Then again Jack did see some nice-looking leg prosthetics in the laboratory that he could see Rhys wearing, plus getting rid of a body from the penthouse would be a pain in the ass. "We'll see how it goes from then, we'll call in a doc if it gets worse."

Jack got up adjusting his digi-struct and waited for Rhys to get up and follow him. Jack  hated  re-heated food.

Rhys knew it wouldn't be that easy to get Jack to leave. The man had a plan in mind and Rhys was a big part of it. He could see the cogs turning in Jack's head. He hesitated for a moment before he moved to stand, wincing at the pain in his leg and he cursed through gritted teeth as he began to follow Jack. He noticed around the apartment where Jack had made himself comfortable, like his own den and it made anger swell within him. Despite the fear of Jack hurting him if he disobeyed, Rhys was going to formulate his own plan to get Jack  out .

"What did you do while I was here?" He asked curiously, maybe he could get as much information out of Jack as possible, it might come in handy in the future. Maybe he could escape from this nightmare. "I could hear you out there, you know."

"Did some cleaning, ordered some food, y'know, stuff you do at home." He would never admit that he craved the mundane things in life, sure he had fun and would continue having fun killing bandits (because that would be always entertaining) but it wasn't the same.

He also set up new rotations for guards, got that Northern Lights project to the final stages and included a proxy (which he created) that would let him easily keep an eye on Atlas without any proper credentials. "First food, and then..." He smiled, "A surprise, you'd like it I promise." He promised a call  from  Rhys at some point to the lady; he was sure if he didn't do it she would  actually  kick the door down to see Rhys... he didn't want that. Jack pulled the chair out for Rhys, poured a glass of wine for him and got the painkillers.

"A surprise?" Rhys echoed, raising a brow as he moved to sit down at the table, eyes glancing at the food that was set out for them both, sitting on each end of the dining table. 

He rubbed his side anxiously before he took the painkillers with the glass of wine that Jack had poured for him. Hopefully, it'd make him feel better.

"Bon appétit." The food was lukewarm, Jack grimaced for a split second but picked his up his fork.

Rhys started to eat the food somewhat shyly, as if afraid that it was poisoned but also worried that Jack would tell him off for taking to long to eat.

Jack watched Rhys take the first bite, he seemed nervous about it, as if Jack dared to waste good food on poisoning Rhys. Poison was too impersonal, anyone could do it but Jack loved being up close, watching the fear, the realisation how fucked they were as he killed a person. He began eating his food, sipping his wine.

Rhys did keep an eye on Jack watching him closely as he continued to eat, finishing the plate in no time and sipped at his glass of wine.

"You end up promising me things, 'rewards' even, but none of them are rewards, Jack. So your surprises are... worrying, to say the least. I don't -" He d oesn't like not knowing what Jack will do next but he kept that to himself. "You know I have to see someone at some point right? Or they'll start getting suspicious."

Jack listened to Rhys and they were both lucky that Jack had a fork in his mouth. Rhys was lucky because Jack couldn't throw the fork at his 'good' eye and Jack was lucky because it was a way to stop him saying something that would screw the thin trust (if it could be called that) between them.

"So you want me to stop with the surprises? Even this one?" He spoke as soon as he swallowed his food, put the fork down on the plate. "You don't want to see your friend, Lowery?"

He placed his hands on either side of the plate, flat out; to show that he had nothing in his hands and as a reminder not to make them into fists. His jaw twitched, and he was glaring at Rhys, barely containing the urge to just wrap his hand and beat Rhys into submission again. "You don't want the tiramisu or your arm back?" The last one was a lie.

Rhys regretted speaking out of turn. It seemed that although Jack had a plan, it was one that seemed to benefit him, or at least he was thinking like the naive programmer he was back in his Hyperion days. He held back the excited feeling swelling within him and kept the fear at bay, shaking his head. He didn't mean to speak out of turn, usually upsetting Jack meant punishment and that could mean physical punishment or someone else suffering because of him.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry, I didn't..." He started, trying to get his words out, attempting to back-pedal his line of questioning at Jack. He should learn to just do as he's told, be a good little boy and things will turn out just fine... or so he thought at least. Seemed to be that way.

"I'd like to speak with Lorelei... I'm assuming she's been filing up my ECHO with questions." He stated, glancing at the ECHO which lay on the kitchen counter. He could reach out and grab it, send a distress signal within seconds but it would no doubt fuck up his situation even further. 

No, just do as you're told, Rhys.

"Forget I said anything... I didn't mean it like that I... I'm tired, that's all." He tried to defend his snarky questions, shaking his head. "Tiramisu sounds great and... I haven't gone this long without my arm before and it feels weird..." He admitted truthfully. "I'm sorry... I really am, Jack."

Jack held his hand up to make Rhys shut up. Rhys remembering his place calmed him down but the urge to strangle was still there. He was  a lot  more patient now than during his CEO days but that didn't mean that his fuse wasn't short.

"You can have the tiramisu and the call." He picked up the dishes, loaded the dishwasher and poured more wine for Rhys. He took the dessert from the fridge, but holding a knife and cutting into it didn't help. He could just stab Rhys in the artery and take over Atlas from the inside,  it wasn't  that hard, he did once with Tassitier, he could do it again. He put the dessert down in front of Rhys and handed him the ECHO. Most of the functions were locked by passwords Jack set or changed.

Rhys was relieved he’d finally have his ECHO and he would be able to call Lorelei, a smile on his face when he felt the ECHO in his hands. The weight of it was welcome but as soon as he opened it, a frown appeared on his face. Of course, how could he be so naive and think Jack wouldn’t change the passwords on it, the man wasn’t an idiot.

"Call her." Jack sat in his seat, digi-structed his gun and placed it on the table, his hand on it and a smile on his face. "Just a reminder, that I will shoot you in the neck in case you get any stupid ideas." He ate his tiramisu.  Fuck it , it was impulsive of him, stupid even but he would deal with a dead Rhys and the fallout if it came to it.

Rhys simply nodded at Jack’s words, deciding against saying anything for fear Jack would shoot him again and take the ECHO from him. He pressed Lorelei’s name and the ECHO started to ring. Against his urge to get out of the situation he was in, Rhys behaved. 

He called Lorelei, had a short conversation with her, wanting to talk more but with Jack staring at him, he didn’t feel comfortable. He confirmed he’d be off for a little longer and as soon as he starts feeling better, he’ll be back in his office again. He would work from home on his ECHO in the meantime. She did query about his lack of cybernetic arm and he shrugged it off, saying he never wore it at home. Her suspicions were put to rest and it was good to hear her voice, comforting even. 

Once the call was done, Rhys placed the ECHO onto the table and he looked over at Jack.

“I did what you said, she won’t call for a few days at least but... I can’t just up and work from home for however long you plan to stay here. People will get suspicious.” Rhys trailed off, taking a fresh fork and finished off the tiramisu quickly; sweet treats had always been a weakness of his. “Can I have my arm back, please? I... I haven’t gone this long without it and it feels weird...” he wouldn't go into detail, but he felt like he was half a person without it. “The dessert was nice... Did you make it?”

Jack watched Rhys with sharp eyes, ate his dessert quietly and bit his tongue when an opportunity for a snarky remark arose. He smiled when Rhys finished the call, it was a genuine smile at that. Jack was...  nervous  about the call, to say the least, it was all too easy for Rhys to say something or do anything to let the girl on the call know that Jack was here. Jack had to  trust  Rhys to do the right thing.

He put the gun away; no use in having it out in the open where Rhys could just grab it, not that Jack thought he would do it but he stopped assuming things after Angel betrayed him. "We'll figure something out Sweetheart. You can't walk around with that knee of yours either, putting it under too much stress will cause more damage."

Jack poured more himself more wine, there was enough for another glass each. He shook the bottle, a silent question if Rhys wanted more. "It's either the arm or the doctor. You can't have too much at once, that's not it works."

Rhys watched Jack closely, taking the bottle of wine and filling his glass again. Rhys probably shouldn't be drinking it since he was on painkillers but dealing with a stressful situation like Jack, why not? He could afford to feel a little tired, maybe it'll help him sleep.

Rhys couldn't be spoiled, he'd get more stupid ideas like mouthing off to Jack or asking if he could go outside. Plus the arm, from what Jack read about it had communication options, which was a bad idea. He wasn't good with that sort of tech, he didn't figure out how to block the communications yet and on top of that Jack didn't have a replacement arm. "Yeah, I did. Not that hard to make and I needed to fill the time. Like shit, I knew it'd take you a while but didn't think it'd be that long." he laughed, and started to clean up the dishes again.

Rhys knew that he wouldn't be able to have too much, of course, Jack had to have control of the situation no matter what, even if they were in Rhys' apartment in his  tower. The CEO looked down at his leg, his knee stretched out in an attempt to keep it straight and avoid irritation. He needed to get it looked at, he could go on with the discomfort a little longer. "I'd like to arrange for a doctor to see my leg. I don't want to lose the leg because of infection."

It wouldn't have been a big deal either way as Atlas had the best cybernetics department but he did not want to replace another limb. "Could you arrange for that? I figured you wouldn't let me book it for myself, you have all the passwords on the ECHO." He pushed the ECHO back at Jack.

Jack sat down after dealing with the dishes, raising his glass and downing half of the content. Catching the ECHO was easy, he typed in the main password and everything unlocked for him. He set up an appointment with a Dr Blome, he had three hours before the doctor came in and he needed to figure out how exactly to kill them. He didn't want to stink up the apartment with a dead body just so he could dispose of them during the night. He decided that he would wrap them up in cling foil and leave them on the balcony, throw them down a waste shoot as soon as he could.

"Doc's gonna be here in two hours." He locked the ECHO again, putting it down on the table. He watched Rhys drink the wine, grinning at how easy it was to make him mix painkillers and alcohol. It would numb him up well, and Jack realised that he could give Rhys any sort of pill and he'd take it without any question.

Rhys sighed in relief, glad to know a doctor was coming to check his leg over and maybe he could get a message to the outside world that Handsome Jack of all people was here, trapping him and torturing him. He knew that it was probably too much to hope for, especially with how Jack had no care for killing people just to punish him. The CEO would have to think of something, anything to stop the situation from escalating.

Rhys hesitated before asking his next question, looking down at the glass and swirling the red liquid in the glass. "Have you... thought about... leaving?" He asked softly, almost like a whisper, as if afraid of what the answer would be.

The question made Jack's jaw twitch again but he hid it with sipping his drink. "Think I'll stay here for a bit longer. Almost feels like home at this point." The happy tone thinly disguising anger. "You don't want me to leave just yet right Rhys? After all the things I did for you, you ungrateful fuck, not even a thank you. I thought I taught you better than that."

The urge to put Rhys back into his place arose, the alcohol fueling it more and more. He stood up, the chair making a loud screeching noise, Jack put his hands on the table again, leaning on them and glaring at Rhys. "You were doing so well too."

Rhys immediately regretted asking, knowing that this was the reaction he would get and he found himself standing, stumbling a little with his bad leg. He held his hands up, shaking his head.

"I didn't mean it! I'm sorry!" He replied, trying to take it all back, he didn't want violence, he didn't want the punishment. He could see the anger in Jack's eyes. "I am thankful, thank you for getting the doctor, I don't want to lose my leg so thank you," Rhys added, backing up until he was leaning back against the kitchen countertop.

Jack followed Rhys, with easy strides, watching with sadistic amusement as Rhys tried to hobble away, the failing attempt at pleasing Jack with apologies and the panic on the other's face. 

"Y-you don't... You don't need to hurt me. I learnt my lesson, I swear." Rhys continued, he couldn't even grab anything to protect himself, it was like Jack had removed the knives from the knife block too. "Thank you for the food, thank you for the wine I-" He felt a little dizzy, the wine and the painkiller going to his head and he could barely keep himself standing, his legs wobbling like jelly underneath him. "I don't... I don't feel so good.."

"You don't feel so good?" He derided, "Shouldn't have drunk so much wine with the painkillers, especially after your first meal in what.... three, four days?"

With ease, Jack trapped Rhys against the countertop with his arms and body, fully leaning in, to the point he could smell the wine from Rhys. "You did mean it Rhysie or else you wouldn't have said it. Saying thank you now is a bit too late, should have said it at the time, not after you get reminded.  You didn't learn shit. "

Rhys felt like a lamb in the jaws of a wolf, prey to Jack and his violence and part of him reminded him that he had brought it all on himself. All he needed to do was thank Jack when Jack did something for him.

"You'll get as many lessons and punishments as needed until you  remember ." Jack was sure he smelled fear wafting off Rhys but the logical part of him knew that was impossible, yet, he relished it.

"So tell me what kind of punishment do you deserve Sweetcheeks?" Jack looked at Rhys with little to no regard, sure Rhys looked pale and tired but that was expected. He also noticed how Rhys's legs wobbled and decided to help him by holding him up via his shirt.

The CEO was trembling in Jack's hold, terrified that he was going to be thrown to the floor and tortured again. He wasn't sure how much more hurt he could take, especially at Jack's sadistic hands. Mismatched eyes looked back into Jack's and he could see the anger, the sadism in them, the need to inflict pain and it made him stumble over his words, not quite sure what the other wanted from him.

"I-I don't know.." He replied, knowing that it wouldn't be an answer that Jack wanted to hear but at this point, he wasn't able to read what the other was thinking, how was he supposed to know what punishment he should have. His vision was starting to blur, feeling light-headed and honestly, if Jack wasn't holding him up, he would have fallen to the floor.

"I don't know what you want from me, Jack. You've shot me, broken my nose, destroyed my arm, locked me up in my room for three whole days with no food or water." He managed to get out, a small whimper to his tone and his handheld onto Jack's wrist weakly.

"W-would you behave if someone did this to you? Would you immediately thank them?" He threw the question back at Jack, almost crumbling under his gaze. "I-I'm sorry... I just... want my life back... Please.."

"First of all, I told you, there is nothing that you can offer me that I'd want as of right now." Jack laughed in Rhys's face. It was a miserable attempt at begging in his opinion, too many questions that Jack didn't want to answer. "Secondly, why is it so fucking important to you what I want? Lastly, I'd never find myself in that kind of position." Jack tightened his grip and backhanded Rhys before dragging him off to bed, holding him by the collar.

Notes:

Right then, leave a comment or a kudos, it's really up to you.

Any tips, constructive criticism etc is more than welcome.

Chapter 6: Death is the last doctor

Summary:

When in doubt use ducktape, when it doesn't work, use more.

Notes:

More bad times for Rhys, Jack is doing what he likes most; fucking with Rhys. Also, Rhys gets looked after for a bit.

Jack threw him onto the bed, grabbing Rhys by the ankle and put the cuff around it. He straddled Rhys, making sure the arm was pinned under him. He took off his first layer, not because he wanted to do anything, it was more because the alcohol made his body run hot already. 

"This is your life now Rhysie, until the moment I decide otherwise this is your life, so you better get used to it." He threw the jumper to the side. 

"So remember your place, remember that your life hangs on my every whim and want and remember that you answered 'I don't know' to my question." He slapped his hands onto Rhys's face and drummed his fingers against the temples. "Now, what are you going to do when the good doctor comes along?"

Rhys was scared. Being dragged and cuffed back into the bedroom was enough to put the fear back into Rhys again. His head was spinning so fast from the slap that he was only able to focus again when Jack had settled in his lap. He looked into Jack’s face, fear over his expression and he wondered what he did to deserve this. Why couldn’t life go how he wanted?

Jack shifted, making himself comfortable on Rhys, he was planning on sitting there for a while, after all, any position was a stress position if it was held enough. He digi-structed his knife, flipping it in his hand, above Rhys's face, at one point almost failing to catch it.

“I’m sorry... I..” Rhys started before he clamped his mouth shut, staying incredibly still and watching the knife in front of his face, flinching as if Jack was going to hurt him with it. The realisation that this... living torture every day was what he was going to experience for the rest of his life until Jack changed his mind, hurt and he almost cried there and then but his fear and adrenaline were overriding the urge.

“W-when the doctor gets here... I’ll behave? Is that what you want? I don’t... Do you want me to be quiet when she’s here? I can do that.” He stopped speaking for a moment, squirming a little and gasping when he moved his injured leg. He was forced to look at Jack and he all but crumbled under his gaze. “W-What are you going to do? Please I... I’ll be good, I can be good..” he breathed, wincing away from Jack’s strong and violent hands.

Jack tilted his head, still flipping the knife and watching Rhys with an intense gaze. "You behaving is a given Rhys, I trust that even if you can't thank someone, that you learned that there are consequences for you misbehaving." He flipped the knife one last time, before placing the tip on the shirt's collar, dragging it down lengthways, cutting it open and using the knife to push the material aside. The answer he wanted being; 'do whatever you want me to Jack.'

"So, for each incorrect answer... or well, let's be more widespread here, blunder, you get a cut." He dug the tip right over Rhys's heart, cutting the skin downwards.

At least Rhys got an answer to his question; what exactly was his punishment for misbehaving and not thanking Jack was. His eyes widened as he felt the knife dig into his flesh, a cry of pain leaving his lips. He could feel how deep they were going into his skin, not enough that he bled to death... Or so he hoped.

"Now don't you fret baby," Jack checked his watch, "The doctor will be here in over an hour." Jack stroked Rhys's cheek with his right hand, an attempt at calming Rhys down. "We got time."

Rhys thought the pain was over until another cut was made and he was trying to squirm underneath Jack, crying out again but the other has a tight grip on his body and he couldn’t move let alone fight Jack off his lap.

"Should I count your 'I don't know' as a wrong answer too? I think I should, yeah, I should, shouldn't I Rhys?" He cut another horizontal line. He just needed another line to finish the 'H' he was creating, it would be followed by a '.' and a 'J'.

Rhys could feel tears fill his eyes as he looked up at Jack, into those menacing eyes and he hesitated to answer. Of course, Jack required an answer but he didn’t know what the kind of answer Jack wanted. This was a painful torturing session yet again.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry Jack please!” He begged, trying to appeal to the man’s inflated ego, maybe if he begged him enough, Jack would stop the cuts. But hey, if Jack wanted to do something, he would do it whether Rhys wanted him to or not.

Jack went back to flipping the knife with his left hand, watching Rhys and waiting for another wrong answer. "What about your earlier backtalk? Or should that slap be enough." His free hand left Rhys's cheek, now tracing the two lines he created.

“Please don’t hurt me anymore, please! I’ll be good, it hurts please...” His eyes glanced down at the streaks of blood dripping down his torso and settled on the hem of his pants, his scared eyes looking back up at Jack again, trembling underneath the man who was in control; completely at his mercy.

“What do you want me to do, Jack? Tell me... I don’t want to hurt anymore...” he paused, the mention of the doctor made him realise. “She’s not... That doctor’s not getting out of here alive is she?” He asked, shaking his head. “No, no, please... No more killing, no more pain.”

Jack adjusted himself on Rhys, his struggling made Jack slide down a bit where his leg held Rhys's hand instead of his wrist. He then wiped at the tears on 'his boy's' face, smearing the blood on his finger before pressing them onto Rhys's lips to clean them. However, at the mention of the doctor, Jack's smile faded, a cold grimace taking its place. "You're are a smart cookie, points for you, a round of applause and all that crap."

Jack made two more cuts, one to finish off the 'H' and one to create the dot. "You didn't answer the question, it was a yes or no question. The second one was for squirming, I'm a bit out of practice with carving things into people you know, and you don't want me to re-do my lines, right?"

Rhys should have just answered simple, instead of trying to beg for the pain to stop. Of course, Jack wouldn't do that, even if Rhys had said a 'yes or no' to his question, there would be some reason for Jack to punish him. 

He started on the J, one smooth stroke. "That one is for making me explain myself, you should have remembered that from your Hyperion days Kiddo."

Rhys screamed again, the cuts were deeper than what he thought, more painful from the now tender flesh that surrounded the area.

Jack lightly slapped Rhys across his face before using one hand to pin down Rhys's shoulder to 'help him stay still'. He started carving a heart around the H.J. "This for ruining the Doc surprise, then again… hah, I suppose it isn't fully ruined." He laughed, "You're going to like that one, so you should look forward to it."

Against his better judgement, Rhys glanced down at the carving Jack had done, his eyes widened as he realised what it said. It had the asshole's initials on his chest. But there wasn't anger there at the other's actions, he was in too much pain to be angry.

"I-I..." He started, almost afraid to say anything unless he wanted something added to the carving or Jack decided to play more while the doctor was on her way. He had no idea how Jack was going to get rid of her, a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach knew that doctor was not getting out of his apartment alive.

"I'm sorry.." He whimpered, his body trembling from the pain and adrenaline in his system, his squirming had stopped too.

Jack checked the watch again, he should have scheduled the doctor earlier, he was getting bored now, having his initial in Rhys was enough for now. Plus, he couldn't wait until the moment he made Rhys kill the doctor. He wondered if Rhys would try to stab him when he got the knife, probably yes, in the end, everyone tried.

He ran his hand over the cuts, smearing the blood and looking at his handy work. The first line was a little too wobbly for his taste but he'd live with it. "And now you'll always remember that you're mine Rhysie." Jack leaned down to place a dry kiss on Rhys's forehead then kissed away the tears. He scooted down, kissing his way down from the cheeks to the neck and finally to the pec. He kissed and licked at the cuts, enjoying the metallic taste, his hands now running over the ribs.

"Are you... Are you going to hurt me anymore?" Rhys asked, looking away from Jack, unable to look him in the eye for fear of angering the man even more and he would add to his already painful punishment. 

"I... Please... can you... leave me alone for a while, Jack please?" He added, he couldn't even move his hand trapped underneath Jack's leg, just stuck sitting there with Jack in his lap, tears silently streaming down his face. "I don't want to hurt anymore. I promise I'll be good."

"No, baby, I won't." He muttered against the skin, once again completely changing from his coarse self to something more soothing. "You just need to learn, to remember and that way you'll avoid these kinds of things."

Rhys wanted to cry, to sob so hard, especially with Jack’s kindness. The signals were conflicted and even with the gentle touch, he was flinching away from it, expecting pain. He glanced down at the cuts on his chest and it was almost like Jack had stabbed him in the chest. He was going to be scarred with Jack’s initials into his skin, a constant reminder of the other man, the torture he has to endure and he was trembling, holding back the sobs that threatened to leave him.

Jack finally got off from Rhys, going out the door only coming in to leave a glass of water for Rhys.

Rhys gulped down the glass of water, his head still spinning and his vision blurring with both the wine and the mix of the painkillers.

Jack left, settled himself on the couch, waiting for the doctor to ring the bell. He switched on a documentary, kicked his feet up and as soon as the doctor rang the bell he padded to the door quietly. He opened the door, hiding behind it with his trusty ducktape and grabbing the woman's face, shutting her up. The slammed her head against the wall, dazing her before getting started on taping her mouth shut. "Now doc, you're going to do your job without any complaints, without doing anything stupid because not only will you regret it but your precious boss will suffer too."

Jack didn't wait for her to nod or blink, just grabbed her by the coat and pushed her along, into the bedroom where Rhys was. "Babycakes! Guess who's here!" He gave the woman one final push before making himself comfortable on a drawer unit. Watching them both with a sly smile.

He didn’t even realise the doctor had entered the room until he could hear her inhaling sharply through her nose at the sight of Rhys and he felt embarrassed, wanting to hide away from her gaze. “Please... Help..”

With her duck-tapped mouth, she quickly moved over to Rhys, grabbing her bag and examining the CEO. She checked the bullet wound, her mind reeling with questions. At least the wound was healing and she was quick to bandage it up properly, ensuring that it was clean, that it would heal right.

Her eyes moved to glance at the new freshly made cuts on his chest and she frowned at the initials, giving Jack a bold glare before she started to bandage them up as well, the bandage soaking up the blood that was oozing slowly from the cuts.

With a huff through her nose. She stood her heartbreaking at the sight of the CEO before her. Rhys was good while she did her examination, moving when she gestured for him too and once she was done, he looked at Jack, a pleading expression on his face.

Jack watched closely as the woman worked, noting the sequence of things that she did and what products she applied at what time. He would need the information for later, to keep the wounds from becoming worse. He smiled at the doctor but once again his eyes held no mirth in them, just a cold stare. His smile faded when he heard her huff, she had an opinion and Jack hated that fact, she was here to help Rhys and nothing more, she was disposable.

“Please... Please just let her go. She hasn’t done anything wrong.” Rhys begged, shaking his head, knowing that she wasn’t going to step outside this room if Jack had his way. “She won’t tell anyone.”

She shook her head frantically, holding her hands up as her bag of medical equipment sat on the bed. She moved to take the duck tape off her mouth. “I swear, you won’t hear from me. I’ll even leave Promethea! Go back to Eden 5.”

Jack hopped off his spot, the smile still there but now more forced. The woman made one vital mistake that did not only seal the fact that she had to die but it made Jack want to draw her death out more. The spoke up.

"No, no. I know she won't tell anyone." Jack shushed them both. He moved towards her and she moved for the door. Jack tripped and she fled the room, but he was smart enough to lock the main door and he caught here there.

"P-please, I'll stay qui-" She whimpered and Jack cut her off with his hand. He clamped it on her face, his other hand wrapping around her neck and then he banged her head against the door, once again dazing her. He dragged her into the kitchen, got the chair out from under the table and taped her to it; he'd need to get more ducktape, he was running low on it. 

Rhys frowned when he watched Jack move after the doctor out he was honestly expecting to hear a gunshot, Jack executing the doctor to make sure that no one found about them, about Jack keeping him locked away in his penthouse. God, it was like some fucked up fairytale where the evil villain kept him locked away in a tower. Maybe he was going insane if he was thinking about fairytales.

Rhys scowled when Jack came back for him after a while, surprised that no noise from the living indicated the woman had died already. 

"C'mon, up, up." Jack waited for Rhys to get up, ready to wrap his arm and haul Rhys into the kitchen.

Rhys watched him closely before he was forced up. He was all achy and tired, dizzy too. He let out a small whine as he stood on his feet, leaning heavily against Jack for support, knowing the other man could carry him if he had to.

"J-Jack... Jack please.." He muttered, holding onto Jack as if his life depended on it, his head feeling too heavy to hold up anymore and he let it rest on Jack's shoulder. "Don't kill her... Please just let her go and I'll... I'll do whatever you want." He breathed. "I don't want to hurt anyone anymore."

Jack helped Rhys into the kitchen, petting his hair and hushing him like a scared animal. He stood with Rhys in front of the woman. "Look, she's still alive. Terrified but alive."

The hand that was petting the hair gently pulled the head up from his shoulder, making Rhys look at the woman. He moved behind Rhys, hugging him and letting Rhys rest against him. His left arm wrapped around Rhys's torso, under the arm. He digi-structured a knife with his right, fumbling in reaching over Rhys's body to grab it.

Rhys wasn’t really there, not mentally anyway. The combination of wine and the painkillers was making him so woozy that his legs were trembling just to keep himself standing. 

Jack put the knife into Rhys's hand, resting his head against Rhys, slowly turning to rest his lips on the cheek, "I'm not gonna hurt her and neither are you. Not really, we'll do it together. Nice and slowly, to get you started and eased in." He pressed a kiss into the soft skin, grazing his teeth against it before pushing Rhys to the woman.

The knife in his hand brought Rhys back to reality, the coldness of it feeling as if the knife itself was causing frostbite and it was making his hands shake. Jack’s words finally sunk in; of course, Jack wasn’t to kill the woman, he fully expected Rhys to do it.

"Go at it champ." His hand was 'resting' on his digistruct pack, ready to grab a gun and shoot Rhys in the shoulder; the doctor would have a chance to patch Rhys up one last time. "Do whatever you want to her, you have free reign on this one babe."

His eyes widened at the doctor and Rhys shook his head, conflicted between being a good boy for Jack but he didn’t want to kill anyone. Rhys tilted his head to look at Jack, tears filling his eyes now and he looked a little lost in front of the other man.

“P-please... Please don’t make me kill her. I don’t... I don’t want to kill her, she helped me.” He leaned into Jack, holding the knife out to him so that Jack could take it from him again.

Jack straightened up, put more weight on one leg, smiling and watching every tiny twitch from Rhys. "You'll get to rest and sleep after being a good boy for me. I promise."

The doctor made an obvious 'What the fuck' face and Jack half laughed and half snorted. "Oh, you don't even know what you walked into Doc." He said to her, "Not that it really matters."

He leaned heavily against Jack, gripping into the other man tightly. He had thought about running, even then he kept eyeing the door getting ready to bolt but even if his leg was fine, he wouldn’t be able to outrun Jack.

Jack noticed how Rhys eyed the door, how he trembled and how the blade seemed to weight too much for him to hold. Jack wrapped his hand around Rhys's hand, forcing him to hold the knife.

Rhys hesitated before he turned his head and pecked Jack’s cheek with a dainty and small kiss. “Please, Jack. Please let her go... I promise I’ll be good for you. Jack, I can’t kill her... I can’t kill anyone..”

He leaned into the kiss, smiling and placed his free hand in the hair. He scraped his blunt nails against the scalp but didn't pull at it. He stepped around to the front to kiss Rhys on the lips, holding his head in place and the knife between them. He gently nipped at the bottom lip.

"She did help you, yeah but she's paid to do that, it doesn't count," Jack spoke between breaths, pressed his lips against on the bridge of the nose. "She doesn't care about you the way I do."

"Plus she tried to run away, that means punishment right pumpkin?" He moved away from the nose and kissed his way to the port in the temple.

In his 'drunken' state, a cocktail of wine and strong painkillers, Rhys enjoyed the soft touches. The kisses, the hand in his hair, he wanted more of it, wanted the affection and praise. At that point, he didn't even care that Jack was the one offering the affection but he needed it, he wanted more.

"You can Rhysie, it's easy." He relocated behind Rhys, changing his grip on Rhys's hand and knife, moved them forward with small steps and pushes. Jack was sure that all the blood in him was swapped with liquid adrenaline, he loved this, he loved fucking someone up, fashioning them into something that they weren't. "You just need a little help and that's fine."

He stopped walking them over to the woman, leaned them both down and placed the tip of the knife just under her chin. "This one is going to be easy, just push and keep pushing. C'mon, be a good boy. Do it for me."

The CEO was moving along with Jack, the knife warm in his hand with both his own hand wrapped around it and Jack's on top. But despite his altered state, Rhys was still fighting it, even if the fight in him was draining so quickly. He was leaning heavily on Jack for support, unable to stand on his own feet without help, his legs trembling. He watched the fear on the doctor's face, something twisting uncomfortably in his stomach and even as Jack told him to kill the woman. He couldn't do it. A loud whine left him and he turned his head, resting it on Jack's shoulder as if it's too heavy to support.

"I-I-I can't do it.." He whimpered, stumbling over his words but he could feel the weight of the knife, pressing against her neck more and she gasped when it started to press into her neck.

It was all too easy, whispering sweet nothings, mouthing at whatever part of Rhys he could get his mouth on. Sure there was some resistance, Jack expected that which is why he was guiding Rhys through all of this. He held him up, let Rhys put his weight on him and Jack might, or might not have rolled his hips into Rhys. (He was too focused on helping Rhys to fully notice it.)

"J-Jack, please... don't... make me do it... I'll do anything else." He panicked, shaking like a leaf against Jack but he can feel Jack's influence, his strength behind his hand and the knife pressed deep into her trachea and he was powerless to stop it; just like he was powerless to stop Jack. He had tears in his eyes, blurring his vision and he can't stop what is happening.

The whine Rhys made and the fear on the woman's face made the adrenaline in him pump faster, he used his free hand to turn Rhys's head, to make him watch the blood pour out of the woman, to see what he, no, they, were doing.

"Please... Jack... Make it stop." She was choking on her blood, the red liquid bubbling from her throat and Rhys let out a small sob.

He wiped away the tears from one eye as best as he could. "C'mon baby, there's no use in crying over a little bit of spilt blood. She was going to betray you anyway, she'd have told everyone about you and you'd lose all your credibility, be a laughing stock in your own company." Jack went back to pushing the knife further in until it was past the hilt. Until the gurgling stopped and Jack was shaking with the thrill of it all. "I'm just helping you Rhysie."

Rhys didn't want the praise anymore. Hearing Jack praising him for killing this woman, the doctor who had tended to his wounds minutes ago made him feel sick. He was forced to watch the fear in her eyes, the life leaving them as she slumped in the chair, knowing that she was dead. Seeing her expression on his face made something in Rhys crack. He... He had killed someone.

"No... N-no, no, no, no... no." Rhys stuttered, panic rising through him. There was blood on his hands, someone else's blood and there was a dead body in his living room. A place where he was safe now turned into a slaughterhouse. It might be an exaggeration but for Rhysit was true, he didn't see many dead bodies. Death wasn't present in his life much.

"You did so well for me, you'll do better and better each time. You'll get the hang of it soon." Jack pulled back their hands with the knife, admiring the blood on them. "You know that right, you made me proud, a really good job for your first time."

He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the image of her bleeding out, choking on her own blood out of his head but it would haunt him no doubt. "I-I don't want this... I don't want to hurt people... I can't.."

The CEO felt something rise in his throat and he uses the strength he has left to push Jack away and headed to the kitchen sink, throwing up the food that Jack had made them earlier. He heaved up whatever he had lining his stomach before slumping over the kitchen counter. He could barely keep himself upright, awake even and it was all because of Jack.

"W-what... What have you done to me?" He asked, tears streaming down his face now, crying in front of his captor, the man who tortured him for the last few days. "I killed someone... S-she might have had a family... What if she had kids I..."

He looked to Jack as if he had all the answers because honestly, his brain wanted to shut down, he wanted to pass out and he was looking incredibly pale, more so than usual. He didn't even realise he was still holding the knife as if it were glued to his hand. "Please don't make me do that again."

Jack's smile dropped as soon as Rhys wriggled out of his hold but he plastered it back on when he saw Rhys still clutching the knife. His hands looked nice, painted with blood the way they were.

"Wasn't exactly your first kill, now was it?" He took a few small steps to Rhys, once again treating him like a wild, frightened animal. He didn't understand why Rhys was so upset with killing someone, or maybe Jack just forgot or skipped the part where he was supposed to have emotions about the first kill. Then again, his first kill; his mother, was a real bitch who warranted it.

"All those people on Helios? They all died when you crashed the station into Pandora." Rhys did mention that it was because of an AI but who was idiot enough to let any sort of AI roam over a whole space station.

"That girl... Yvonne? The one with glasses and brown hair. I saw the recording from the cells Rhysie. You left her on purpose." He didn't hear her name properly and didn't really know who she was to Rhys. The clip itself was short, no sound after the first three seconds and damaged beyond all repair. He only found her name by looking through the workers' database and he wasn't even sure if it was the right one. He was going off the mere fact that Rhys stopped to talk to her on his way out.

"Pretty sure she had a family too. All those other workers too." Another few steps, this time more certain. Strike them down and make a move, that was the game he was at. He was standing less than an arm's length away from Rhys. Jack was confident the other wouldn't use the knife, and even if he did, Jack would pay back tenfold. "So tell me Rhysie, did I make you do anything? You barley fucking struggled babe."

"I didn't kill them!" Rhys exclaimed, feeling anger bubble up within him, mixing with the guilt he already had and punished himself constantly and Yvette... He left her there to die and the guilt returned, unable to hold back the floodgates and the tears continued to stream down his face. Jack was right... This wasn't the first person he had killed.

"I didn't know..." Rhys shook his head, finally realising that Jack was moving closer and closer to him and he held the knife up as if trying to keep the distance between them. Although the attempt was feeble, his hand trembling and it wouldn't take much for him to drop the thing. The blood was getting everywhere, on his hand, on his torso which was bare from the doctor's examination, the bandage over his heart still there. 

"You didn't know." Jack took the final half step to the point that he felt the tip of the knife dig into his chest, the small trembles from Rhys's hand vibrating through it.

"S-stay away from me." Shaking his head again, trying to push the thoughts out of his head; Jack was right. Rhys was already a murderer; was he any better than Jack? At least he didn't lie to himself every day and pretend to be a good person. He still felt so dizzy, his body swaying on the spot.

"I-I don't want to do this anymore... I-I can't do this." He felt as though he was about to pass out, his eyes feeling heavy and even his words slurred slightly, his legs almost sliding out from underneath him. "I don't feel so good..." The knife finally dropped onto the floor with a loud clink, the blood already starting to dry on his hands.

As soon as the knife dropped he hugged Rhys, holding him close and grimacing at the fact that his shirt now had blood and traces of vomit on it; it would be fine he reprimanded himself, it'd wash out. Jack wanted to let him crumple to the ground like a boneless pile of meat, to let him sleep it off on the floor right there and then. In his own mess and stink.

"Shhh now, I got you. You're just tired and confused, in denial too." He petted Rhys's hair, smoothing it down and ruffling it back up. "But I'm here for you Babycakes."

He picked up Rhys with ease, held him up with one arm under his butt and the other one supporting his back.

Rhys all but collapsed in Jack's arms when he felt the man hold him, he couldn't help it, he didn't have the energy to fight anymore and the image of the doctor choking was enough to make his mind shut off. He just sobbed quietly, clinging to Jack's shirt until he was deposited into the bed.

Jack went out and came back with a wet rag, wiping down the face first, then the chest and finally the hand. He tucked Rhys in, kissing him on the forehead and telling him to sleep. He had a body to deal with.

Once he was tucked in, the CEO didn't stay awake for long, he promptly passed out, his injured leg stretched out but the rest of his body curled up.

Jack closed the door, didn't lock it, just closed it to keep the noise down. He looked at the woman in the chair, flopped over and snorted. Pathetic. He walked past her to clean up the kitchen first and to wash his hands. 

"What a day, huh doc?" He said as he placed lines of cling foil, layering them to avoid staining the floor more. Then he cut the tape off, set her body on the foil and proceeded to break the bones, wrapping her up at unnatural angles to make the 'packages' as small as possible. He wrapped her up, checked the feed and when it was clear he carried her out to the trash shoot. He missed venting people, he didn't have to walk barefooted down corridors to avoid leaving a bloody trail, venting was so much cleaner. He had to duck out of the way twice on his way back, then he showered and slid into bed with Rhys, ready to sleep through the night.

Notes:

Right then, leave a comment or a kudos, it's really up to you.

Any tips, constructive criticism etc is more than welcome.

Chapter 7: Breakfast of the Champs

Summary:

Ughhh, some smut happens, some domestics happen and a...I guess a polite and even civil argument happens.

Notes:

Idk if it was mentioned but this takes after the events of Borderlands 2 and before Borderlands 3, aka Atlas is already back as a manufacturer and going strong but still being taken for granted etc.

Also, I proofread this at like 1am after writing a 3K essay about a thing that I really do not care about, pls let me know if you find any inconsistencies. -V

It took Jack a long time to fall asleep, it was the bed being too comfortable to what he was used to, plus, the fact that he had someone sleeping beside him. He woke up during the night a few times to find Rhys wrapped around him and needing to shift his arm.

It was just before dawn that Rhys started waking up and felt a pleasant warmth that had him nuzzling the broad warm chest next to him. It felt amazing, curled up to someone so warm. Until his tired mind provided him with a little nugget of information; he was cuddling up to Handsome Jack. He was wide awake then, eyes looking up at the man he was wrapped around and he huffed, shaking his head and shifting back away from Jack.

He knew he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, especially when his captor thought it was a great idea to lay next to him. Instead, he climbed out of bed quietly, hobbling along and headed into the kitchen. Once there, he poured himself a large glass of water, gulping him down trying to search through the drawers for more painkillers. Whenever he stretched too far, he winced, the wounds on his chest aching as well. He was just a bundle of pains as he filled his glass for the second time.

The final time Jack woke up, Rhys was nowhere to be found, he didn't feel the place beside him for heat, a mix of panic and anger making him get up from the bed. He padded to the door, peering out to see Rhys in the kitchen, good, he was still there. The maniac anger he felt subsided until it was nothing more than a dull throb at the back of his mind. Rhys was looking for something, probably the painkillers that Jack left on the bedside.

Jack grabbed the painkillers and walked as quietly as he could to Rhys, he pressed his bare chest to Rhys's back, placing the painkillers in front of him on the counter.

Rhys didn't even hear Jack move behind him, feeling the warm body behind him made him flinch a little, during their time together, Rhys had been so used to pain that he had come to expect it now and well, it was an instinct now.

"Looking for these?" Jack whispered into his ear, rubbing his hand over Rhys's sides, steadying him. "They were right on the nightstand Rhysie."

Jack placed soft kisses on the shoulders, going across from one to the other. "Feeling any better?" His hands now moving over the stomach and chest, staying a tad longer on the bandage before moving back down to the sides.

Rhys looked down at the pain killers and he sighed in relief, immediately opening the pill bottle, grabbing a couple and he filled his glass with water again.

"Everything hurts..." He admitted, his voice so quiet, he was worried that answering a question would be viewed as speaking out of turn. The CEO threw the pills to the back of his throat before swallowing them back, gulping down the water before he sighed heavily. His arms trembled trying to keep himself up and he leaned back against Jack, mostly for support but Jack was warm and he realised how little clothing he was wearing, especially when he started to shiver.

Jack moved with Rhys's movements. "Not surprised there Cupcake, but chill with the painkillers, can't have you popping them like eyeballs." He liked the fact that Rhys was leaning into him and Jack leaned into Rhys, once again trapping the man against a counter.

"You..." Rhys started, not quite sure how to put his words into thoughts, his mind was jumbled, mental exhaustion hitting him hard and he just wanted someone to help him, take the pain and the trauma away from him.

"You're being nice.." Rhys started again, rubbing his eyes and turned to look at Jack, raising a brow at him.

"You're not talking constantly and you're being nice... That's not like you. That feels nice though. Really nice." He slurred his words a little before he rested his head on Jack's shoulder, as if unable to keep it upright anymore.

"I'm always nice when you behave." Jack mouthed at Rhys's shoulders, now focusing more on the neck, nipping here and there. He was being gentle, reigning himself in. "You just need to behave more for me to be nice all the time Rhysie."

Jack's hands dipped under the pyjama pants that Rhys wore, massaging the hips before slipping out and turning Rhys around. "And I can make you feel better if you want. I'll make you feel so nice, you'll forget who you are, you seem like you wanna forget. Like you wanna let loose and relax for the first time in your life."

Rhys couldn't help but agree with Jack. He wanted to forget, he wanted to forget what had happened to him, the aches and pains in his body. Could Jack make him forget? Even if he was the one who caused the feeling in the first place?

"All you need to do is..." Jack trailed off, knowing that Rhys would get the hint. His hands were now splayed out against the thighs, his face a hair-breath away from Rhys.

Jack was so warm, his hands so comforting and with all the hurt RHys had experienced, he could do with some warmth and affection. With the legs around him, it was clear what Jack wanted. His mismatched eyes looked up at Jack, the cogs in his head turning as he thought, debated giving into Jack with such ease, barley an opposition. A blush dusted across his cheeks as he really considered, shifting to lean heavily on his uninjured leg.

Jack gave Rhys a small smile like there was some innocent secret between them, like nothing bad ever happened to Rhys because of him. He watched Rhys think, the blush spreading and even as impatient as Jack was, he didn't rush Rhys.

"I want to stop hurting... Everything hurts and... I'm tired." He breathed his hand shaking as he placed it on Jack's thighs.

"You had a long day yesterday, but you made me proud, so you deserve something nice, some reward." He waited for Rhys to give some sort of indication, Jack turned them around, to the point that Rhys was the one 'trapping' Jack, a sliver of power that Rhys would never really have. Jack hopped onto the counter, scooted back and wrapped his legs around Rhys's waist.

He waited, propped up on his elbows and looking. He wanted to just force Rhys onto his knees, hear him whine at the pain in his knee as Jack used him as a warm cock-sleeve while he cooked breakfast.

Chewing on his bottom lip, still debating whether he should give in to the man or not, even as his hand moved to pull down Jack's pants, his gaze falling, unable to look at Jack, embarrassed by what he was doing. Once he pulled Jack's cock out of his pants, he began to stroke it, his face becoming brighter with a deep blush, leaning down and wrapping his lips around the head, slowly taking him into his mouth with a sigh. Maybe he could just forget... allow Jack to help him forget, a soft hum rumbling in his throat. He started to bob his head slowly along his length, a sigh leaving his nose.

Jack put his hands into the hair, gently pulling Rhys by his hair so he could watch him work. He wanted to see Rhys unravel before him, to become a mess again. Jack let him take his own pace and tried his best not to just push Rhys face down choke him on his cock... yet.

"Ahh, t-that's good Rhysie, you're being so good for me." He watched him bob his head up and down, only bucking up into his mouth once or twice but otherwise reigning himself in.

Rhys wasn't exactly happy to suck Jack's cock but he would do anything to avoid any punishment or more aches and pains on his body.

"You look so fucking pretty like this, god I could just spend the whole day with you around my dick." He pulled Rhys off him, pushed him back and lifted him onto the counter, hovering over him again. He grinned at Rhys, his hand already slipping down the pyjamas and working on Rhys's dick. "But you're gonna need to use your words."

To know that Jack wanted him to use his words, to no doubt beg for Jack, it made the situation worse and honestly he wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole. It was embarrassing, his cock already half hard in Jack's hands and he shivered, a shaky breath leaving his parted lips.

"I... I don't know... What you mean..." He replied, the blush on his face growing across his face and down along his neck, mixing with the bruises and marks that Jack had left on his neck. He can't help but rock his hips into Jack's hand, seeking more, especially with how good those calloused fingers felt against his cock. He didn't know what to hold onto so instead he gripped onto the edge of the counter, his thighs trembling around Jack, soft pants leaving his lips.

"I... Please tell me what you want from me... I don't want to be hurt for saying the wrong thing..." He added, looking away from Jack, unable to meet his face and the humiliation rising within him, he wanted to hide his face away from Jack... just so he didn't have to look him in the eye and admit how turned on he felt.

Jack stopped moving, stilled completely and hovered over Rhys. His jaw twitched. He hated repeating himself but for the sake of Rhys, he would, for the sake of making Rhys more willing towards anything and everything that was in Jack's whims.

"Like I said Pumpkin. Tell me what you want. How am I supposed to know how to make you feel best when I don't know?" He started up again, slow strokes on Rhys's cock, a thumb sliding over the head before moving back down the shaft. He pushed the shirt up with his other hand, all the way until it was bunched up at his neck and armpits. With gentle touches, he started peeling off the bloodied bandage, the wound needed some fresh air... probably. Jack just wanted to see his initials on the skin.

"There are no wrong answers." There were, there always were wrong answers. "Just tell me what you want me to do to you." He finally took the dressings off, throwing the bloodied scraps onto the furthest corner of the counter. He kissed the pec, around the carving and then moved across the chest, waiting for Rhys to answer. "Tell me how you feel, c'mon you have the vocabulary range babe."

Once the bandage was off on his chest, he wanted it back on again. The cuts Rhys had marked into his skin were still sore and he hissed and squirmed against Jack's touches, his kisses. He tilted his head down to see the sore angry cuts, the 'H.J', so bold against his pale skin. He closed his eyes tight, looking away again and he shivered. The hand on his cock determined to say the least.

"H-help me forget... I don't want to remember this anymore." He breathed, his hips rocking a little eagerly into Jack's hand. There was some part of him still fighting against Jack and what he wanted. The humiliation and embarrassment returned, coiling in his stomach and he released a small whine, his knuckles turning white from gripping the counter so tight. He opened his mouth, trying to put into words what he wanted, what Jack would want him to say. He was still looking away from the other, wetting his lips.

"Don't be shy Pumpkin, give in to it and relax. Let daddy take care of you."

"Can you..." During his time with Jack, he's not used to asking for things from Jack, especially when he was usually reprimanded for making requests. "Can you fuck me please?" He asked, his voice barely audible as if ashamed by his request. "I just want to forget... I want to feel good, tired of all the pain a-and... y-you're the only one that's here... only you can give me that... Please." He begged.

With two-final strokes Jack lifted himself from Rhys, pulling him towards himself and lifting him. He carried them to the couch, the pillows and blankets from Jack's makeshift bed still there. He threw two pillows against the back of the sofa with one hand, the other still supporting Rhys. Then he dropped Rhys against them, took their clothes off and turned Rhys around.

"Now lean over and spread them legs." he pointed to the back of the sofa, while he took another pillow and put it under the wounded knee. "And make sure the only thing you'll remember is my name."

He a slap (it was light compared to the ones he got the first time around) to Rhys's butt cheeks, spreading them apart and kneeling. He started with soft kisses and bites, running his teeth against the flesh, he started from the thighs making his way up until he was mouthing at the perineum. Part of him wanted to stop, see how badly Rhys would beg him to continue, he stopped just close enough for Rhys to feel his breath.

Rhys had expected Jack to just fuck him on the kitchen counter, he wouldn't have been mad if he had done that, just another way for Rhys to forget but he was definitely surprised when Jack positioned him on the couch. A little wince from him as he was placed on his knees due to his bad leg and Jack started to eat him out. Jack started with long and slow licks against Rhys's asshole, using just enough force to slip his tongue in. He kept at it, as if was the first ice cream cone he had in years. Jack sped up until he was tongue fucking Rhys in earnest.

The man had been so absorbed in his own whim, Rhys was surprised that Jack was focusing on giving him pleasure instead. He couldn't be quiet, honestly, when Jack started to press his tongue inside him, it had the CEO moaning loudly. Taken by surprise as he rested his torso against the back of the couch, arm resting on the top as he buried his head in his arm. He squirmed against Jack's mouth, cock already hard between his legs and his mouth parted with soft pants.

Contrary to what most people believed, Jack didn't just take and use the people around him. Every once in a while something in him would rally and he'd show kindness. This varied in forms, from small mercies like not killing them to putting his partner's needs first; usually, he showed kindness when he had an agenda. However, his patience was running thin already but the moans and pleading motivated Jack to continue.

"O-oh fuck... Jack..." A breath left Rhys, a shiver running up his spine and he closed his eyes, focusing on Jack's mouth, how good it felt and how long it had been since someone had made him feel good like this. It was awfully lonely being a CEO.

"Not just yet," Jack added a finger, then a second and a third one as soon as he felt it was fine.

"K-keep going... Please... t-that feels... so good." Rhys's mouth was spewing compliments as if he had no brain to mouth filter, or more likely as if he gave up caring about his dignity. Jack was making him feel so damn good and after all the hurt and pain, he wasn't going to deny it. His thighs begin to tremble in Jack's hands, slowly rocking his hips. "Please..."

Jack was clinical and efficient in working Rhys open, curling his fingers and trying to find the prostate. A thought passed him; he'd need to get a plug, make Rhys ride it next time. He put that little bit of effort in and did more than he'd ordinarily do. It was necessary patience he needed to exert to make Rhys a mess. He pulled his fingers, feeling that if he didn't stick his dick in Rhys he would do something thick-witted, like murder Rhys. Then he would have to deal with a boner and a dead body. Jack stroked himself just a couple of times before lining himself up, spitting down since he wasn't in the mood of getting lube from the bedroom. He pushed in, his hands spreading the ass cheeks, allowing himself a view of his dick sliding in, millimetre by millimetre. He let out a quiet, unsteady breath. Rhys felt nice, to say the least. He slid his hands up to Rhys's shoulders, then past them to the couch, supporting himself before pulling out and pushing back in, he started slow, increasing the tempo until it suited him the most.

Rhys could feel himself falling apart for Jack like he was splitting at the seams, each stitch being pulled out with every moment of pleasure Jack gave him. His body reacting so nicely to each touch. It just reminded him how long it had been since someone had opened him up like this, made him feel good for once. Especially being a CEO, it was always about making everyone happy... but what about him? Who was going to make Rhys happy? Well right now? It was Jack making him feel so good. Although he would have appreciated lube when Jack decided to fuck him. The burn of himself stretching around Jack's cock was beginning to mix with the pleasure and it was becoming increasingly harder to identify what was pain and pleasure with every thrust.

Jack pressed his forehead down. He regretted shooting Rhys in the knee, mostly because he couldn't bend the knee into a position he wanted. Well, he could, he just didn't want to deal with it getting worse. "You're being so good, keep making those noises, they're so fucking pretty."

Rhys's hand gripped onto the edge of the couch, his panting becoming louder as his muscles clenched and relaxed, especially when Jack would angle just right inside of him.

"A-ah fuck, Jack..." He moaned loudly, his back arching more to allow a better angle and despite the pain in his knee from holding himself up like that, it didn't matter. He felt better than he had for a long time and the one who was responsible was the same man who caused the gunshot wound in the first place. Rhys didn't even hesitate to push back to meet Jack's thrusts, his cock leaking precum onto the couch cushions and his dignity was thrown to the wind, opting instead to feel the pleasure completely. As soon as Jack reached that sensitive spot inside him, Rhys was seeing stars, his moans becoming cries of 'more' and 'please', shouting to the heavens without a care in the world. Some little part of his mind nagged that he shouldn't give in this easily to Jack but... who was he kidding? He had asked for it.

"I-I'm close! Jack.. Jack please.." He begged, knowing that his hips will be covered in bruises the next day and well, he hoped they would be, knowing that Jack was the cause of them. "Please, I need to... Want to come.." He blurted out. "Please.."

"Keep begging." Jack was slowly forgetting that it was supposed to be somewhat about Rhys, right now all he wanted was to be selfish and he wouldn't deny himself that right now. He leaned against Rhys, using him as his main support instead of the couch. Rhys was meeting him flawlessly and Jack just kept going, ignoring Rhys's pleas to come. He started marking Rhys up again, mostly with bites around the neck, and his fingernails on the back and ribs. Jack's pace started to become uneven, stuttering every so often, the last burst of energy waning. He pulled Rhys's head (by the hair of course, and a part of Jack was sure he had some sort of obsession with it now) into an angle that let him wrap his other hand around the pale neck.

"Don't you fuckin-" Jack didn't finish the sentence, too caught up in his orgasm, still fucking Rhys through it for as long as he could, his hand tightening on the neck before he moved it to Rhys's cock. He stroked it with fast and precise movements, deciding that Rhys deserved it, that this time around Jack wouldn't just leave him hanging. "Let me hear you scream my name when you cum."

It was a combination of the hand that was around his neck, squeezing a bit too hard, Jack's thrusts hitting that sweet spot like it was a goddamn target and Jack's dirty talk that pushed him over the edge. The CEO did as he was told too, crying out Jack's name at the top of his lungs, not caring if anyone could hear them as he was overwhelmed by his orgasm, the pleasure washing over him like a tidal wave. His eyes fluttered shut, his hips stuttered through it all.

"Jack... Fuck that..." He panted heavily, his brain still coming back down to Earth after how good that orgasm had felt before he finally collapsed against the back of the couch. His chest heaved, trying to gain his breath back at a steady pace but despite all that, he had a lazy somewhat dazed smile across his face, thoroughly enjoying how good Jack had made him feel. Jack slumped against him, breathing harder than normal. Jack saw Rhys's lips quirk out of the corner of his eye, pride swelling in his chest because yeah, Handsome Jack fucked like a champ.

"Did you... Did you enjoy that as much as I did?" He asked, somewhat shyly, his face flushed lightly and he can feel the marks that Jack had created in his skin, knowing they'd bloom into bruises the next day. He ran his hand lazily through his hair, wanting nothing more now to curl up in bed and pass the fuck out. "Please don't tell me this is breakfast because I'm hungry and now... I've worked up an appetite."

Jack rolled his eyes, when he heard Rhys's first question, ignoring it. Seeing that the other was ready to just fall asleep again, he answered the second one. "Well Kiddo, I made the food the last few times so now it's your turn to make something."

"Best sex I had in a while," He said it more as a fact rather than a compliment, but, by all means, it wasn't a lie. He stretched out, working out the kink he got in his lower back before putting his arm on the backrest, making a small spot for Rhys to cuddle into if he wanted. A test of just how... attached Rhys became or was, or wanted physical contact from Jack. It was eerie, being moderately domestic, he hasn't done that since... Jack cut the train of thought before it got too far. He got off Rhys, giving him one last slap on the ass before plopping down on the couch beside him.

Rhys shifted awkwardly on the couch, stretching his legs as much as he can but he hissed in pain when he had to move his injured leg. He rolled onto his ass, not caring that the couch was now covered in their come and he sighed deeply. He looked to the other, raising a brow before he hauled himself along the couch to curl up to Jack's side, although he did keep his hand to himself, pulling it close to his chest as his legs rested on the couch.

As soon as Rhys was cuddled into him Jack's hand was messing with the hair. Jack needed to work on Rhys enough where Jack could let him out without being nervous about being found out. He didn't exactly want to run a company (as much fun as it was), but he wouldn't settle down for living in some shithole on Pandora either. Rhys constantly asking him what he wanted got to him, but he had no plans on telling him anything. "Some eggs and bacon would be nice," he mused out loud, "some coffee... maybe some toast and fruit."

"Woah, hold that... that sounds like a breakfast feast more than anything. I can uh... Try? I'm not that great at cooking, probably should have told you that from the beginning if you wanted me to cook." He offered with a sheepish smile and a one-shoulder shrug. "Not that I thought I'd get out of this alive if I'm honest with you."

The moment of Jack being comfortable and relatively placid towards everything, did not last long because who, at the age that Rhys was (whatever it was, Jack didn't particularly care) didn't know how to cook? He wanted to push him off but his next comment made him snort. Keeping his anger at bay. "Why did you think that pumpkin?"

Rhys isn't sure why he's suddenly so... Okay with Jack being around. Something in his mind was actually telling him that it was nice to have Jack here and he needed to shake that thought. He shook his head, uncurling himself from Jack and he moved to stand. It was a struggle, especially with his bad leg and he grabbed a blanket to wrap around his body.

"Don't blame me if the kitchen goes up in flames," Rhys stated before he hobbled to the kitchen, grabbing some pans and the food to cook and he looked down at the ingredients, a huff leaving his lips. He didn't want to go into details why he thought he wouldn't last long around Jack.

Jack was about to wrap his arms and pull Rhys into his lap to get more answers out of him but Rhys was faster to get up. He watched him struggle into the kitchen, finding it funny. However, the fact that Rhys listened, that he went into the kitchen without any obvious hesitation, that fact alone with Rhys curling up and begging for Jack to fuck him, made something dark curl up in Jack's soul. He did make a mental note to get some sort of crutch for Rhys… at some point. He watched Rhys huffing and puffing before getting up and leaning against the counter, still naked as the day he was born and letting Rhys have his own space but still a step away from him. He watched as Rhys started to fry the bacon and eggs first and popped the toast in the toaster.

"Jack? Could you make the coffee, please? It's a little hard to move with my leg."

Jack made a face and went to the coffee machine, it took him a day to figure out how to work it with a manual opened on the ECHO. It had too many fancy options for Jack's taste, he missed his old coffee machine, 'Old 'Bean there, done that' was never a letdown, it was the only reliable thing on Hyperion. He made a black coffee for himself and used the history button, (because apparently coffee machines had history now!) and made whatever it was for Rhys. He placed the cup in front of Rhys watching the eggs and bacon turning crispy, he wondered if Rhys knew it was time to take them off. He didn't say anything, people needed to learn from their own mistakes and Rhys knew the kind of price that would be paid. Instead, Jack stepped behind him, draped himself on Rhys and watched the pan. Rhys decided to focus on the cooking instead, glad that the other man was helping him with the coffee. He only had one arm and an injured leg, he wasn't exactly that fast. He thanked Jack for the coffee, his vanilla latte as normal and he took a sip while he was cooking, sighing at the taste.

"How did you survive this long if you can't cook? You have a maid or something?"

"I didn't really do much cooking, I would either get take-outs or have the caterer's come by and cook. I mean, I was planning to learn, went to a few lessons before... well you showed up." Rhys shrugged his shoulders, turning off the heat and taking the pan, a frown at how 'crispy' the bacon and eggs were but hey, he was hungry, he'd eat anything. He started plating up the food, squirming against Jack.

"You keepin' an eye on me? I can't do anything, you hid all the knives." Rhys responded as he nudged Jack with his forehead before he untangled himself from Jack as he grabbed the toast, quickly placing it on the plates with the eggs and bacon.

Jack didn't make it easy for Rhys to slip out, his jaw twitching at the fact that Rhys wanted to be away. That Rhys suddenly seemed to look comfortable around him. He wanted to just reach out and pin the man against the counter, to let the hot butter, or oil, or whatever it was that Rhys used to fry, to drip onto the pale skin. To remind Rhys that no, he should be on edge around Jack, that he should practically be doing everything that Jack wanted him to do. He didn't, he just gave a tight smile and left it at that... kind of.

"I'm always keeping an eye on you Rhysie, even when you think I'm not." He leaned against the counter again, watching his coffee before sipping it. "Fuck sake kiddo, I think you forgot to get the blowtorch out"

"This is the first breakfast I've ever made so... sorry if you get food poisoning?" Rhys offered apologetically before biting into a slice of toast. "Would you even allow a caterer here, Jack? I could have someone cook for us but I know you... wouldn't like that."

He moved and grabbed the butter and cheese from the fridge. Jack sat down, at the head of the table and started to assemble his cheese, egg and bacon toast. "You don't need a caterer Rhysie, you just need to learn to cook is all and stop blaming you not attending cooking classes on me." He bit into his toast. "Plus you can't trust caterers, every other one wants to poison you."

"I was just cooking you breakfast! You asked me to cook and I did it. Didn't promise that it was going to be any good or even edible I tried. Most can't say that." Rhys was grumpy, sure he may have wanted Jack wrapped around him but he didn't want to be punished, he was doing as he was told, why was Jack being snarky and grumpy? He took his breakfast and he limped over to the other end of the table. He honestly felt guilty for not knowing how to cook and it made him angry. Clenching his jaw and tempted to throw the plate of breakfast at Jack. He picked up a fork and picked at his food, his appetite was soon gone and he huffed. His nice and sated mood soured, picking the crispy parts off the bacon and egg.

Jack had exactly twenty-three maids, caterers and whatever else they called themselves before he 'died'. "You don't want us to be poisoned right?" He looked up at Rhys as he said it, before taking another bite of his food. "Plus, who knows better than you, what you like?"

"Well, I've not had a caterer try and poison me, Jack. I've not had a murder attempt on my life, nobody wanted to hurt me unt-" He didn't finish the sentence, shrugging his shoulders and drank the rest of his coffee, wanting another cup as he eyed the machine.

Jack blinked and stared at Rhys. Between being still angry (and even more so, seeing that Rhys wasn't eating his food) and now bewildered that Rhys backtalked to him again.

"Is this... Is this what you want?" Rhys asked with a raised brow. "I wouldn't put you down for someone who wanted domestics," Rhys added, running a hand through his hair as he started to munch on toast. "I wouldn't... I'm not a housewife, sorry to disappoint."

Jack barely swallowed the food he had in his mouth, he did choke a little bit but he laughed. He had to put his sandwich down, and push himself away from the table so he could bend in half and wheeze. He wasn't sure if it was Rhys's serious face, or if it was the thought that someone saw Rhys as a big enough threat to poison him or if he thought that Jack wanted a 'housewife'.

"Y-y-you think tha-" He wheezed, he couldn't get a proper sentence out. He leaned back into the chair, his head thrown back and tears in his eyes. "Oh man, this is priceless." He laughed for another good few minutes before calming down. Any sort of good-nature intentions that he had that morning gone now. He was still smiling but it was all teeth and cold anger. "Rhysie, there's no reason to be upset. I didn't say the food wasn't good but that you just need to get better, there is a difference. Like with code, sure, someone can make some pretty alright code but it can always be better. You're not important enough for anyone to want to poison you, Atlas is still nothing but scrap compared to the likes of Vladof or Dhal. To them, you are nothing."

Rhys did not appreciate the comments or the laughter from the other. Being told that he was nothing, that to Dahl and Vladof, Atlas was nothing. Well, that wasn't true. He was on his way up and he rolled his eyes. "I would politely disagree with that, I refuse to believe that I haven't been poisoned because I'm 'nothing'. I think you're paranoid."

He stood up from the table, most of the food was left on his plate and he headed towards the coffee machine again, making his vanilla latte again and yes it was his second coffee within the space of half an hour. He was leaned against the kitchen counter, cradling the cup in his hands, watching Jack from his position in the kitchen.

"Second of all," Jack put the cup down, he was starting to laugh again. He decided it was the housewife part that made him laugh. Sure, he figured at most he wanted to settle down, retire, if Rhys was part of that then so be it. Jack like his little project. However a housewife was never something he wanted, he just needed someone to match his stride and be a good lay. "Housewife? Do I look like the type of guy who wants one? I was being civil Rhys, but you're either blind to it, an idiot or just don't fucking appreciate a good thing." He paused, huffing, "Actually it's probably all three, isn't it?"

Rhys froze at the man's words and he shook his head. Knowing that something was brewing in Jack. "It's not that I... I appreciate the niceties, honestly. It's a nice change and I... I thank you for it." He offered in an attempt to diffuse whatever anger Jack may be stewing on. It was like a prey animal avoiding his predator, not making eye contact, curling in on himself to make Jack calm down.

"You're more in denial than you know," Jack snorted and finished off his food, "and a healthy dose of paranoia is good for the soul." He still had a little bit of coffee left, so leaning back with the cup he watched Rhys. He knew what Rhys was trying to do, Rhys was trying placated him, calm him down and appease to him. Jack was around enough people like that to know when it was happening. "Did someone tell you that you're a threat Rhysie? Or do they just offer mergers? To buy Atlas, for you to be a co-CEO to them? That's their way of saying you have resources but no idea how to use them. They want to do what I did, take Atlas resources and make it into a pile of nothing... or well even a bigger pile of nothing."

Rhys decided that if it came down to it, he could grab a pan and defend himself from Jack's rage. "If you want me to cook better, teach me yourself."

"I can teach you more than to cook Rhysie, you just need to ask. For example how to run a company, how to actually make Atlas into something."

Rhys did not like where Jack was going when talking about Atlas and he did go on the defence, feeling like his own efforts and the few years he had been bringing Atlas back from the dead was... for nothing. He bristled and if he had feathers, they would be poofed out in a sign of his annoyance. "Atlas is something, Jack. Believe what you want but I've been working too damn hard for it. Besides, I'm the CEO, I'm the one running the business." He folded his arm over his chest as if he were crossing his arms with the coffee still resting in one hand.

Jack just sneered when Rhys's answer was 'Atlas is something', because what kind of response was that. At most, it was a way to avoid answering the questions. "You need to get attacked just once and this whole shithole will crumble. Even those fuckwads from Maliwan could do it."

Rhys grimaced, gulping down his coffee and setting the cup on the counter. He figured that Jack would say something like that to get under his skin. No use arguing with people when they wouldn't even listen. "I'm going to take a shower."

Notes:

Hey, thanks for reading this!
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